Shy
by Roll286
Summary: She was so different from him. While she was shy and had difficulties speaking her thoughts, he was as outspoken as ever. He was so different from her. When he talked, his voice could be carried throughout the whole school. When she talked, her voice could barely be heard. They were so different from each other, but maybe that's why they were attracted to each other.
1. Chapter 1

_Current concern: He tried calling out to a lost-looking first-year girl to tell her the way to her classroom, but she started to cry._

 _\- Haikyuu! Wiki page_

It had been bothering him for quite a while now. After having morning volleyball practice, Tanaka travelled down an empty hallway leading to his classroom. The hallway that seemed to be empty actually contained a first-year girl in the middle of it. At the sight of her, Tanaka had stopped in his tracks.

She was about Hinata's height – maybe even a little taller. She had straight, jet-black hair that reached just below her shoulder blades. The girl was unique in the way that she dressed. It was very modest. Her outfit contained all the parts of the school uniform: a long-sleeved white dress shirt, cream-colored vest, black blazer, red bow tie, blue skirt, knee-high black socks, and white Uwabaki school shoes. She was dressed so immaculately, that it was certainly a sight to behold. There were no wrinkles in the fabric, her bow tie was done perfectly, and there wasn't a speck of dust or lint on her. Unlike many of the girls her age, she wore her skirt a little below her knees. Her knee-high socks covered the rest of her legs. She showed minimal amounts of skin.

Tanaka thought that she was different, in a good way. It was unusual to find a girl so demure like her, but he found that it was a nice quality – much different from himself.

She was holding a paper. Her schedule perhaps? She gripped it tightly in both hands. Her eyes were focused solely on the paper. Brows furrowed slightly in confusion and biting her lips, she looked up, swaying her head side to side. She seemed to be lost. School did start only just recently and she is a first-year. Tanaka had a sudden resolve to help this lost girl. Anything to help a cute girl, right? That's what a real man does! His eyes burned with determination and he called out to her.

"Hey, you!" His voice was so loud that it almost echoed around the nearly empty hallway. The sudden noise in the quiet hallway made the girl jump. She turned around shyly to greet the boy, but she soon saw that to be a mistake.

Tanaka had walked up to the girl. "You're lost, right?!" he asked, but the girl thought of it more as interrogated. She thought his face was scary. It was the same kind of face he used to intimidate and provoke his opponents when playing volleyball, although he wouldn't know this. She immediately became frightened by him. This boy looked like a delinquent, and now he was shouting at her for a reason unknown to her. Tears started forming at the bottoms of her eyes. Had she done something wrong? Had she angered this boy somehow? Maybe she should apologize and run away before something bad happened.

That's exactly what she did.

While bowing deeply and using a quiet voice, she said, "I'm so sorry!" By now, the tears in her eyes had fallen. She ran down the hallway and turned the corner before Tanaka could even react.

He simply stood there, shocked at what just occurred. He had just made a girl cry. The thought kept repeating itself in his head. Why did she cry? Had he done something wrong? Why did she apologize? She didn't do anything wrong, right? The girl's actions perplexed him to no end. Tanaka was thinking about this situation all throughout class. What had he done to make her cry and apologize? He tried answering this question, but was not able to. He became frustrated and angry with himself for making a girl cry while not even knowing how. What kind of a man and senpai was he?! He thought to himself, _"Damn it! What did I do wrong?"_

Actually, he said this out loud.

"Is there something you need help with Tanaka-san?" asked the teacher. He seemed to be a little peeved by Tanaka's sudden outburst.

Tanaka soon realized his mistake. "Ah! Uh, no sir." The teacher narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Then I would like it if you would keep quiet." Tanaka blushed a deep shade of red as the rest of the class chuckled or giggled at him. "Yes, sir." It would be good not to further anger the teacher. Tanaka was already disliked because of his poor grades and bad sleeping habits in class.

This first-year girl was really making him confused and worried. He really wanted to know what he had done wrong.

Oh, well. She does go to the same school. Maybe he'll see her again sometime.


	2. Chapter 2

_Loud._

That's what she thought of in regards to her heartbeat. She finally managed to find her classroom after her "rough" encounter with the "delinquent". She stood in front of the closed sliding door. Frozen in place, she pondered over what to do.

She didn't really know what to think. Back at home, she mentally prepared herself for the emotional tax that her first day at school would bring. Standing right outside the classroom, however, threw all that mental preparation out the window.

She was extremely pale – even paler than usual. Her hands were shaking slightly. She had a cold sweat. Her palms felt hot and clammy. Standing in front of a large group of people and introducing herself did _not_ appeal to her.

Just as she was about to run to the bathroom to hide, the teacher rounded the corner and spotted her. "Oh! You must be the student who fell sick the first few days and couldn't come to school. Just wait right here until I call for you to come in, okay?" The teacher smiled and went in before she could reply.

Although the teacher's smile and aura was rather pleasant, it did little to calm the girl's nerves. She should have run away earlier. Now, it was too late. She heard the teacher inside trying to calm down the class. "Okay class! Settle down! We don't necessarily have a new student, but she was sick the first few days of school and couldn't come in. Treat her kindly! Alright, please come in now!"

This was it.

She hesitantly slid the door open. As she quietly walked into the room, whispers were heard. Automatically assuming that the whispers were bad, she started getting even more nervous. Unbeknownst to her, many of these whispers were actually just curiosities on her way of dressing in the uniform. It was so formal and modest that some students even started to speculate that she was a girl from a wealthy, refined family – an "ojou-sama".

She stood next to the teacher's podium, feet together, hands in front of her clutching her bag tightly, looking down at her toes with her bangs covering her eyes.

The teacher looked at her worriedly. "Why don't you write your name on the chalkboard and introduce yourself?" She flinched, but followed the request nonetheless.

 _Kita Tsukiko_

The class waited for a little until she finally spoke. "…Um, I-I am Kita…Kita Tsukiko…Please t-take care…of…me" She slowly died out towards the end. By now, her face was a raging scarlet.

No, not her cheeks. Her _face._ Some students thought that it was rather endearing to see such a shy girl. Other students were confused as to why the girl had so much trouble over just introducing herself.

"Okay, Kita-kun. You can take the empty seat back there." It was the seat farthest in the back and closest to the back door of the class. _Perfect_. The perfect place for her to make a quick and easy escape from confronting her social awkwardness.

On her way to the back, she passed by a girl with shoulder length blonde hair and star clips on the left side of her head. The girl gave her a small, timid smile. Tsukiko tensed, but returned it just as timidly.

Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad year after all.

* * *

She was wrong.

It had already been a week and she still made no progress in making new friends. It wasn't that she didn't want to; it was just that she was much too shy to take initiative. Having come to school later than all the others, everybody around her already had their own groups or cliques.

She was unintentionally left out. Her teacher noticed. Tsukiko was called into the teachers' office during lunch.

"Ah! Kita-kun, there you are! I need you to do a favor for me. Would you mind bringing this to a second-year named Matsumoto Hiroki? He's probably in the second-year section, class one, eating lunch right now."

Tsukiko paled instantly. "A-ah! I know you must feel nervous right now, but it's already been a week since you came into school. You haven't made much of an effort to make some new acquaintances, and I'm beginning to worry. I've expressed my concerns to the other teachers. They all think that this would be a good chance for you to get comfortable around here. Matsumoto-kun is a nice young man – very bright and easy-going. I know you're a nice girl too Kita-kun. Just give it a shot, will you?"

She understood what he was asking of her and she knew that he meant well, but suddenly asking her to confront somebody she knew little to nothing about? An upperclassman, no less! She started to have a cold sweat again.

The teacher clapped his hand on her shoulder while he handed her some papers. "I'm sure you'll do fine. Good luck!"

She'd be needing it.

Tanaka was in his classroom scarfing down his lunch. "If you don't slow down you'll end up choking and die" stated Ennoshita. Tanaka swallowed his food and quickly defended himself, "Hey! If you want big, strong muscles like mine, you've gotta eat lots!" "Really…" Ennoshita said in a way that clearly showed that he was uninterested and did not believe him. Kinoshita and Narita chuckled behind their hands.

Tanaka became annoyed and grabbed both of the collars of their uniforms. "Hey, what are you lau-" He was cut off by the sound of the sliding door slamming to the side. Everybody in the class immediately looked to the entrance.

Tanaka's eyes widened and his grip slacked. It was _her._ The girl he had been worrying about, but never found.

There, stood Kita Tsukiko.


	3. Chapter 3

_This is not happening._

Ha. She wishes.

On her way to the second-year's section, class one, Tsukiko was still stressing over how she could possibly approach Matsumoto Hiroki.

Due to these thoughts, she had forgotten that she already reached the classroom. She was only snapped out of her reverie when she accidentally and unknowingly slid the door open with too much force.

Everybody in the class stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

Now, she was paying attention.

Tsukiko's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and she was as pale as snow. She started shaking nervously.

"A-ano! Is Ma-Matsu…moto H-Hiroki…here?" Tsukiko felt like she did when she introduced herself to her class, but these feelings were amplified because she was dealing with upperclassmen.

The boy walked up to her. "That's me! Matsumoto Hiroki here! What'd you need?" The boy was loud, but not overly so. Just loud enough to be considered cheerful, and his smile shone so brightly that it washed away some of Tsukiko's nerves.

She thrust the papers up to him while she gave a perfect 90-degree bow. "Th-this is from Fujimoto-sensei!" The second-year was a little surprised. Was it normal for somebody to be so nervous and formal while just handing someone else papers?

He slowly took the papers from her hands, but Tsukiko still held her 90-degree bow because she was too embarrassed to look up into his eyes. "Um…would you lift your head please? You don't need to be so formal even if I am an upperclassman. I'm only one year older than you anyway."

"Ah! Yes!" She shot straight up. The speed at which she did so was inhuman. She still did not look at him, choosing to look at the wall to her side instead. Biting her lip with wide eyes, her tension was still noticeable.

Matsumoto blinked. "Pfft…Haha! You're a funny one! Thanks for the papers by the way. I really needed these." She finally looked at him, but his smile and laugh finally did it for her. She flushed a deep shade of red and ran out, shouting an, "Excuse me!"

Matsumoto called out for her, "Hey, wait! I didn't get your name!"

That's okay. Tanaka would get it instead.

Throughout the whole occurrence, Tanaka had been watching her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "She looked like an ojou-sama. She was really shy. Kind of cute though, right Tanaka?" Narita asked.

 _Cute?_

Of course she was.

Noticing that he never answered, Narita tried again. "Tanaka?" Said boy bolted after Tsukiko. "Tanaka!" his three friends shouted after him.

He wouldn't stop though. He wouldn't let a chance like this slip by him. He wanted to chase after her, wanted to find her.

Tanaka managed to catch up and grab her wrist. She immediately turned to him. Her eyes widened when she saw his face. Ah, so she recognized him.

Noticing her eyes go down to his grip on her wrist, his hand shot straight up into the air. Both of their eyes widened at his overreaction.

Tanaka slowly lowered his hand and used it to cup the back of his neck sheepishly. "Hey, uh, about that time you were lost…" Her hand was beginning to get clammy. Was he going to yell at her?

He bowed his head. "Sorry!"

 _Sorry?_

What was he sorry for? Tsukiko thought it best if she just went along with it. When he looked back up, she nodded slightly to him, turned around, and left for her classroom.

"Wait!" She flinched, but didn't turn back to him. "Y-yes?"

"I'm Tanaka Ryunosuke! What's your name?" She looked over her shoulder, but turned her eyes downward. In a quiet voice she said, "Kita Tsukiko" and continued her walk to the first-year's section.

 _Kita Tsukiko_

Tanaka thought it was a beautiful name. He tried saying it out loud, "Kita Tsukiko." It lingered on his lips. He started grinning. On his way back to his classroom, he was skipping with a stupidly happy look on his face.

Tsukiko made it back to her class before anybody else. It was still lunchtime after all. She sat quietly at her desk.

Why did he apologize? Of course she was scared of him at the time, but it wasn't like he had done anything yet. Yet…maybe that's not the right word. _Would_ he have even done anything? Didn't he say, 'that time you were _lost_ '? He somehow knew that she was lost.

Tsukiko gasped.

Maybe that boy actually meant to help her when he shouted at her across the hall. Perhaps he was nicer than Tsukiko gave him credit for, especially if he apologized to her when he didn't really do anything.

Besides, Tsukiko hadn't heard anything about delinquents in this school, except for that Azumane Asahi, of course.

Perhaps _she_ should be the one to apologize. She had run away from Tanaka without explanation and that must have been surprising. If he still remembered that moment up to now, he must have been worried about it – worrying about when he would get the chance to apologize.

Right. She should be the one apologizing. Tsukiko became determined to right her wrongs. She wouldn't let somebody feel bad and apologize when it was her who made the mistake. She would go apologize to him after school even if it embarrassed herself in the process.

What did he say his name was again? Tanaka Ryunosuke?

Tsukiko tried saying it out loud, "Tanaka Ryunosuke." It lingered on her lips.

She gave a small blush. The sound of his name gave her a pleasant feeling and the ends of her lips tilted upwards in the slightest of ways.


	4. Chapter 4

_Riiinng!_

It was finally the end of the day. It was time for Tsukiko to find Tanaka and apologize for her actions. Even though she had decided to right her wrongs, that didn't mean that she wasn't still nervous about confronting him.

While worrying about what she should do, all the other students had already left for their homes or after school activities. Tsukiko gasped and rushed to gather her things into her bag. Hopefully, Tanaka would still be in his classroom.

She hurried over to the second-year section with a rapidly beating heart. She reached the classroom only to see that it was empty.

Tsukiko became crestfallen. She didn't know much about Tanaka, so she wouldn't know whether or not he went to any club activities and it wasn't like she knew anybody well enough to ask around for him. That would be much to embarrassing and nerve-racking for her.

Just as she was about to turn around, a voice was heard. "Oh! It's you!"

It was Matsumoto Hiroki. The same boy that Tsukiko embarrassed herself in front of when giving him papers from her teacher.

"Hi! I just came back because I forgot something. Are you looking for someone?" Matsumoto made sure not to be too loud since he knew how shy Tsukiko seemed to be.

"…I'm sorry. I-I'm looking for…Tanaka…Ryunosuke." She blushed a bit when she said his name.

"Oh, you mean that loud shaved-head-guy? Hmmm. I think he's in the volleyball club. Why don't you check the gym?" Matsumoto offered her a serene smile. It eased her nerves a little.

"T-Thank you!" Tsukiko started for the gym, but was stopped by Matsumoto's voice.

"By the way, you should look for the second gym! The boys' basketball team and girls' volleyball team use the other one. Also, one more thing. What's your name?"

"U-um. It's Kita. K-Kita Tsukiko." "Tsukiko, huh? That's a nice name."

Tsukiko's eyes widened and her face was immediately swarmed with red. "T-Thank you for your kindness!" With that, she dashed off.

Matsumoto blinked once. "Haha! What a funny girl, Kita Tsukiko."

Tanaka walked into the gym with one of his stupidly happy faces on. One could even see the pink background and sparkles surrounding him.

Tsukishima, like always, took the first chance to tease him. "Oh, look at that Yamaguchi. It must be nice to be an idiot. They can be so carefree all the time." Yamaguchi chuckled behind his hand.

Tanaka's face turned to Tsukishima. "It really is nice to be me." He then went back to getting ready for practice.

.

.

.

"Hey! Kageyama! What's wrong with Tanaka-senpai!?" Hinata asked, but only received shocked silence from Kageyama.

Even Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were shocked stiff.

"Hey, Daichi! What happened to Tanaka?" Sugawara worriedly asked the captain of the boys' volleyball team.

"I'm not even sure if that _is_ Tanaka…" Daichi was truly astonished at the boy's response to Tsukishima's indirect insult.

All of the boys on the team now stayed some distance away from Tanaka. Hinata, being a brave soul, decided to go up to him. "S-Senpai? Are you okay?" Tanaka turned around and his close-eyed smile was still shining brightly. The sparkles around him blinded Hinata and caused him to shield his eyes with his hands. "Hmm? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

.

.

.

"Who are you and what have you done with Tanaka?!" Surely, this wasn't the same boy who would jump at the chance to pummel Tsukishima for disrespecting him.

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Tanaka replied with confusion evident on his face.

"Somebody get a rag and a bucket of water!"

"What, you think he has a fever? He has to be sicker than that if he's like this!"

"No, wait! Somebody get him to the infirmary!"

"Get him a doctor!"

"No, somebody call an ambulance!"

"No, no, wait! Somebody call 119!"

All of the boys were running around and shouting, trying to figure out what should be done. Some had their phones out, preparing to call the emergency number. Others actually got rags and bottles of water. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

"Hey! I'm okay, you know?!" Tanaka's shouts only seemed to make things worse.

"Somebody pin him down! He's delusional! We've gotta get him some water!"

Tsukiko stood just outside the gym's doors. She was hesitant to go inside because of all the noise. Her face showed how worried she was. Was somebody actually severely hurt? Who are they talking about? Are their practices so harsh that someone could get really injured?

Tsukiko shivered at what kind of Spartan training they would need to endure.

Just as she was thinking about their frightful practices, the door to the gym flew open. Hinata ended up ramming right into Tsukiko.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Hinata started rubbing his head. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He peered over at Tsukiko. She was sitting on the floor with one hand rubbing her head and the other leaning back to support her. "Hey! You're that new girl, right?!"

He wasn't _entirely_ wrong. Being sick the first few days of school and then coming back without having any cliques to join certainly made Tsukiko _feel_ like she was a new kid.

"I'm Hinata Shoyo! Nice to meet you!" Instead of holding out his hand to wait for her to shake it herself, he just took it and started rapidly moving their conjoined hands up and down.

Tsukiko just stared at him, amazed and still slightly dazed from their collision. "What's your name? What are you doing here? It can't be that…you're thinking about joining the volleyball club!?" Hinata's loudness was starting to attract the attention of some of the other volleyball team members.

"I-I'm Kita Tsukiko. N-Nice to m-meet you…I-Is Tanaka…Ryunosuke…here?"

Even though he was still being pinned down, Tanaka turned to the gym's entrance at the sound of his name.

His eyes widened when he saw Tsukiko.

 _It's her._


	5. Chapter 5

_It's her._

There she was – _Kita Tsukiko_. The girl he had been thinking about all day. The one he had been hoping to see again soon. The one he had been smiling so stupidly for.

She looked frantic. What was wrong? Who did something to her?

All of a sudden, Tanaka somehow got the strength to push everybody off of him. He felt revitalized and ran straight for the doors of the gym. Hinata jumped out of the way before he would be hit. Tanaka stopped just in time and slid right in front of her, just a few inches before a collision happened.

"Tanaka Ryunosuke, here! But you can call me 'Senpai'!" He introduced himself while giving a proud smile and pointing his thumb against his puffed out chest.

Tsukiko was surprised to say the least. She hadn't expected him to be so…eager. Even though she tried preparing herself, it was like class introduction all over again. Her face flushed red and she looked down at her feet, her bangs covering her eyes.

"U-um, hi. I-I'm Kita Tsukiko. I-I need to talk to y-you." She spoke in a quiet voice, but everybody heard her nonetheless because of how silent the gym was after that whole fiasco.

Tsukiko could feel all the eyes on her and it made her even more uncomfortable. "U-umm, could we talk…outside?"

"E-Eh? Okay, sure!" Tanaka's face also became flushed. A cute, shy girl with a blushing face asking to speak with him privately? Surely, that meant something big was going to happen – a confession perhaps? Well, of course! He is a great man and senpai after all! The two walked out and went a little ways away from the gym's entrance.

The rest of the volleyball team watched in astonished silence, mouths agape and eyes bugging out.

"D-did a girl just ask for Tanaka?" Kinoshita asked nobody in particular.

"Not only that, but I think she means to confess…" replied Ennoshita.

.

.

.

"EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!"

"D-do you really think so?" Hinata's face was beginning to resemble that of Tanaka's and Tsukiko's.

"W-Well, let's think about it." Sugawara started. They all formed a circle and huddled up. "So a girl came here and asked to speak with Tanaka specifically. She was blushing furiously and couldn't meet his eyes. Then, she asks if they could talk privately. What does this mean…oh, dear lord…"

"Tanaka's actually being confessed to right now?!" The team couldn't believe it.

Now, that's a little harsh. He's not _that_ bad is he?

Daichi spoke up, "Well, we should be happy for him, shouldn't we? This doesn't happen often and she's pretty cute!" The team agreed after their initial shock.

"Yeah! We should throw a congratulatory party!" Hinata suggested.

"Che! As if a guy like that could get a confession from a girl." Tsukishima sneered.

"Hey! What are you trying to say about your upperclassman?" And then a fight ensued.

Although they were a little ways off from the gym, the two could still hear some shouting going on. _What's going on?_ Thought Tanaka. Tsukiko was a little worried too, but she was more occupied with deciding on how to apologize to Tanaka.

"T-Tanaka…senpai." She addressed him. He blushed at the 'senpai' part. "I-I wanted…to say that…"

Here it was. Was he really going to get a confession from her?

"I-I'm really sorry!" She bowed deeply.

Eh? What did she say? Was she rejecting him already? He hadn't even said anything!

She raised her head a bit. "I mistakenly took you for a delinquent and ran away from you that time when you just wanted to help give me directions!" She said it quickly and bowed her head again.

Oh. So _that's_ what she came here for. Somehow, Tanaka felt a bit disappointed.

"A-Ah! That's fine! No worries! I should be sorry for scaring you off!" He put his hand on the back of his neck and averted his eyes, afraid that she would catch onto what he was thinking by looking into them.

He had accepted her apology, but somehow, Tsukiko was not satisfied with this. "I-Is there anyway I can make it up to you?"

 _Give me a smile._ "Huh? There's no need for that! I, as a man and a senpai, couldn't make you do anything like that!"

"P-Please! If there is anything I could do at all, please tell me!" She insisted.

Well, if she insisted then…"Uh, then…why don't you come and watch me practice?" It would feel so great to have such a cute girl watching him play volleyball. To have her cheer him on would give him all the support that he needed. She blinked, "P-Practice?"

"Yeah! I play volleyball, and I'm pretty good at it! I'd say I'm one of their best spikers!" He announced proudly.

"O-oh! I could watch, b-but I have to g-go home for now." There was that inkling of disappointment in Tanaka's chest again. "I-I can come tomorrow though!" And just like that, the feelings of disappointment disappeared.

"That's great! Make sure you come, cause you'll be amazed by my performance!"

She nodded. "O-okay. S-see you t-tomorrow then, Tanaka s-senpai!" She turned around and ran off before she could see him blush.

Tanaka had a great smile on his face. He heaved a wistful sigh after her. Guess she really wasn't confessing, huh. What he didn't know, however, was that Tsukiko had just as big of a smile as him while she ran off.

He walked back to the entrance of the gym. When he made it to the doors, he could hear some whispering going on. Tanaka opened the doors.

Popping sounds were heard. "Congratulations, Tanaka!" The team had somehow gotten party poppers in the time that he was gone and now confetti was everywhere. There was even a small banner pinned up that said 'Congrats'.

Tanaka was utterly confused. "Congratulations? Congratulations for what? What are you talking about? You guys are being so weird today…" They could've said the same thing to him.

"What do you mean 'for what'? Congrats on getting a girlfriend! She's pretty cute, by the way. Wasn't it the same girl from that time, you know, when she came over for Matsumoto?" Narita responded with slight confusion.

"Yeah" Tanaka responded to his question about who she was. "W-Wait! No! She didn't come here to confess!" A pang of disappointment again. "She just came to apologize to me."

.

.

.

"EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!"

"See? Told you a guy like that couldn't get a confession." Tsukishima stated.

A vein appeared on Tanaka's head. "What's that supposed to mean, Tsukishima?!" Well, there goes another fight.


	6. Chapter 6

_Today._

Today is the day that she goes to see Tanaka's practice. First, she would need to inform her parents. Tsukiko looks at her guardians.

Her mother is standing at the sink washing the pan, spatula, and some dishes. Her father is sitting at the head of the table, food in front of him and newspaper in hand.

Tsukiko finishes eating and puts down her chopsticks. She lays both of her hands in her lap and continues to sit in silence. Her father notices. "Is there something wrong, sweetie?" her father asks tentatively. Her mother stops washing the dishes, turns the running water off, and looks at her with concern.

"U-um…I'm going to…come home a little later than usual." There wasn't as much stuttering since Tsukiko wasn't as shy with her parents, but she was still a bit apprehensive about their reactions.

Her mother spoke first. "Oh, have you joined an after-school activity? Maybe a club or a sport?" Tsukiko shook her head. "Not exactly. I'm…I'm going to watch the boys' volleyball team practice."

"Oh, that's nice! Have fun~!" Her mother instinctively knew that her daughter wasn't going to just watch their practice. Her daughter was going for a certain _boy_. Who? She didn't know. She was just glad that her little girl was beginning to show signs of blossoming into a woman.

"That's great, sweetie!" Her father agreed. "Volleyball is quite the sport!" Tsukiko sighed in relief. She was beginning to worry that her parents wouldn't let her go, or more specifically, her father. He was quite protective, like many fathers.

Her mother looked at the clock. "Well, if you don't get a move on you'll be late for school! Have a nice day~!" Tsukiko nodded and her parents gave her gentle smiles with their eyes closed while she went out.

Just as she slipped out, her father's eyes shot open. "Wait…did she say… ** _boys'_** …volleyball team!?"

.

.

.

"NOOOOOO! My little Tsu-chan! Don't go! Those **_lecherous beasts_** will devour you!" Her father was just about to run after her, but Momma Kita tackled him to the ground before he even got close to the front door.

"Oh no! Don't you dare try to stop your daughter this time! It's about time for her to blossom into a young woman! I'm so glad that she's finally got an interest in a boy! Or maybe she's already got a boyfriend and she's going to his practice to cheer him on~!" Her mother squealed in delight.

"Blossom?! Young woman?! Boyfriend?!" Her father was having trouble processing all of this. "NOOOOOO!"

It's too bad that Tsukiko was already too far away to hear her father's screams. She walked to Karasuno High, all the while having a small smile on her face.

Many people noticed her radiance. Usually, the 'ojou-sama' was quiet and withdrawn – inconspicuous. Now, it was as if she was glowing.

Throughout the day, Tsukiko wasn't as reserved as before. Her eyes were shining and she displayed a small, gentle smile for all to see. When the teacher called on her, she answered correctly without hesitation and with only a little bit of stuttering. Some wondered whether it was really the same girl or not.

During lunch, a girl with shoulder length blonde hair came up to Tsukiko. She recognized her as the same girl with the star hairclip that gave her a small smile on her first day. Today, the girl was wearing a heart hairclip. "Kita-san? Sensei wanted to talk to you for a little bit."

"Okay. Thank you…umm…" She didn't know what to call her. Tsukiko blushed and looked down. She was slightly ashamed that this girl knew her name, but it wasn't the same the other way around.

"Ah! I'm Yachi Hitoka! First year, class five!" She stated. Then she mumbled, "Wait, you already knew that since we're in the same class." As a recover, "N-Nice to meet you!" Now Yachi was blushing too.

"N-Nice to meet you too, Yachi-san. I'll go meet sensei now."

"Okay! I'll see you in class later!" Tsukiko nodded and was then on her way to the teachers' office.

"Oh, Kita-kun! Over here!" He called over to her. "I wanted to talk to you about your after-school activities. It seems you still haven't joined any clubs yet and I think it would be a good idea to do so soon! It's also a great way to make new friends!"

She had thought about joining a club, but she didn't have many options. She wasn't very athletic, so doing sports was out of the question. Some clubs were too full and others, she had no interest in.

"You know, a position in the Student Council is always open! And it's well respected. Why don't you consider joining? You've even attracted the attention of one of the Co-Presidents!" The teacher smiled brightly at her.

"Co-President?" She asked.

"That's right! He even requested that I ask you specifically about joining the Student Council! Remember that second-year I asked you to deliver some papers to? Matsumoto Hiroki? Yes, it was him!" Tsukiko was surprised. She thought that she had utterly embarrassed herself in front of him.

"Well, lunch is almost ending so let's get back to class! I'll take you to the Student Council room after school. You'll meet everybody and they can explain what kind of duties you'll have if you join! Let's get a move on!" Wait. After school?! But Tsukiko has to go and see Tanaka's volleyball practice!

Before Tsukiko could even attempt to object to the teacher's idea, she was pushed out of the teachers' office and directed back to her classroom.

Tanaka went into the locker room after school. Just as he did yesterday, he was grinning stupidly as he walked in. The ones already present just pretended not to notice. Nobody wanted to ask and nobody wanted a repeat of yesterday.

After he changed, Tanaka proceeded to go to the gym. His grinning dimmed when he looked around.

Tsukiko wasn't there.

He was slightly perturbed by her absence, but soon got over it. She said she was going to be here. Maybe she was just running late! She probably got stopped by one of the teachers or something. Yeah! Those lazy teachers are always asking students to do their work for them, like copy papers, or staple and organize them.

Tanaka easily discarded the notion that Tsukiko could possibly have bailed.

It was easy to think that at first, but now it was getting more difficult. It was already halfway through practice and there was still no sign of Tsukiko. Tanaka's game was beginning to get a little thrown off. He looked around the gym and at the doors again.

 _Not here._ Tanaka sighed. Maybe that's why she said that she couldn't watch his practice yesterday. Such a cute girl like her? He guessed that it was too good to be true.

Sugawara noticed that Tanaka kept looking around and at the gym's entrance. "What's the matter, Tanaka? Are you expecting someone?"

Tanaka looked at his vice-captain, and then looked down with furrowed eyebrows. "…No."


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry!_

 _I'm really sorry, Tanaka-senpai!_ Tsukiko was currently in a predicament. She had meant to go and see the boys' volleyball team practice, but now she has to deal with the problem of her after-school activities.

After classes ended, Tsukiko tried to inform her teacher that she had a prior engagement. The teacher, however, didn't give her enough time to explain herself and he led her straight to the Student Council room.

"I'm sure you'll love the Student Council, Kita-kun! The work is rewarding and the members are highly respectable! You'll fit right in!" The teacher was much more excited about this than she was.

"U-umm! S-sensei…I-I'm not…" Once again, Tsukiko tried to explain herself, but the two had already reached the Student Council room. The teacher slid the door open. Inside, were four students. One of them included Matsumoto Hiroki. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Ah! Evenin' sensei!" He gave a respectful bow. When he lifted his head he noticed another person beside the teacher. "And you brought Ki-chan! Great!" He beamed a smile at her. Tsukiko was startled at both his bright smile and his nickname for her. _Ki…chan?_

"I'm sure you'll be okay with everything, right Matsumoto? I leave her in your care!" He then left the room. Tsukiko tried calling out to him. "A-ah! Sensei, w-wait!" He'd already turned the corner though.

"Hey Ki-chan! I'm glad you could join us! Let me introduce everyone to you!" He put his hand on the small of her back and directed her to the middle of the room. She fidgeted under his touch. He removed his hand after he noticed her discomfort.

Matsumoto pointed at a boy with black, shaggy hair and full-size headphones around his neck. "This is our Secretary, Hideaki!" "Yo!" The boy responded while holding up the peace sign with his fingers. Tsukiko gave him a small bow. He seemed just as energetic as Matsumoto.

He then gestured to identical male twins. Their resemblance to each other was uncanny. "These two have the job of being Treasurer and Auditor, Katsuo and Katsuro! Don't ask me which one is which, cause I've known them for over five years and even I don't know!" He laughed.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you!" The twins said at the same time. Tsukiko was slightly flustered at their simultaneous actions, but gave them a bow nonetheless. "N-nice to meet you t-too!"

Matsumoto continued, "Our Public Relations Officer isn't here right now since she's busy with something else. You'll meet her soon though!" He then gestured to himself. "I think you already know this since sensei probably said it, but I'm one of the Co-Presidents! Welcome to the club! Our other Co-President isn't here either because she's helping our Public Relations Officer, but I know she'd want to welcome you as well."

Tsukiko looked around the room and at everybody. The room was spotless and papers were stacked neatly on desks. All the members present gave her reassuring smiles. Her teacher was right; they certainly seemed capable of wholesome, respectable work.

Matsumoto spoke, "You know, we're still looking for a Vice-President. If you're interested in joining, then maybe you can take that role!" Tsukiko was flattered, but there was no way she could take such a high position.

"V-Vice-President!? I-I couldn't do t-that. I-I'm just a f-first-year!" She tried objecting.

"Nonsense! Age doesn't determine how well you can do your job as a Vice-President. Besides, the other Co-President and I were both Co-Vice-Presidents when we were first-years; and that was just last year!" He took her by the shoulders and led her to one of the desks. "Let us show you the duties of a Vice-President and then you can decide!"

For a while, Matsumoto and the others explained to her the jobs of the Vice-President. Matsumoto noticed that Tsukiko kept glancing at the clock throughout the whole process.

After Katsuo and Katsuro finished showing her another one of her duties, he addressed the issue. "Hey…Ki-chan, is there somewhere you need to go right now?" She flinched and looked down.

"Let me guess…the volleyball club?" Tsukiko quickly looked up at him, wondering how he knew that.

It seems that Matsumoto could tell what she was thinking by reading her facial expressions. "I remembered Tanaka going after you that time you delivered papers to me. You were also looking for him the next day and I saw you guys talking to each other after that. You want to watch him practice right?" Tsukiko blushed at his question. Despite his energetic and carefree attitude, Matsumoto was quite observant and had a very good memory.

"Well, don't keep the man waiting!" He started pushing her out the door. "You can tell me your answer about joining the club tomorrow. And I expect a good one!" With that, he gave her a gentle smile.

"H-hai!" Tsukiko bowed deeply and then ran down the hallway, towards the gym.

It has already been a while since school ended. She didn't know how long their practices went for, but she hoped that they were still going at it.

She had only been running for a short time, but Tsukiko was already panting heavily. This was why she chose not to join any sports clubs.

The gym's entrance was in sight. She could hear the sounds of volleyballs hitting the floor.

A surge of relief filled her. She would have to apologize to Tanaka again for being late. Hopefully he didn't think badly of her for not showing up.

Tanaka was still a little unsettled from Tsukiko's absence. His game was still off and the others were beginning to worry. He wasn't being as loud as his normal self and he didn't take off his shirt even once when he hit a successful spike like usual. Given that it saved their eardrums a bit and him being shirtless was always unnecessary, his current actions still worried them.

Just as Tanaka hit another haphazard spike, the doors to the gym slammed open.


	8. Chapter 8

_Bang!_

The doors to the gym slammed open and everybody immediately directed their attention to the entrance.

It was the same girl from yesterday who had asked to speak with Tanaka privately: Kita Tsukiko.

Tanaka's eyes widened at the sight of her. He had completely thought that she had ditched him and was pleasantly surprised to see her right here like they had promised, albeit quite late.

His happiness quickly turned into worry after realizing the state that she was in. Tsukiko was hunched over and leaning heavily on the gym door's edge. Her panting could be heard clearly and she looked to be in dire need of water.

Tanaka's worry mixed in with his happiness now. _D-did she run all the way here…for me?_ He blushed slightly. He thought it was incredibly cute, to have a girl frantically running to find you like she was late for a date and scared that you had already left. _W-what am I thinking?! This isn't a date! More importantly, I need to help her!_

Sugawara, however, had already beaten him to the punch. Being the worrywart that he was, Sugawara immediately went to help Tsukiko with a water bottle in his hand. He handed it to her and she gratefully took it. He then proceeded to help her into the gym and onto the bench.

By now, all the boys had stopped their practice and gathered around the girl to see if she was okay.

Tsukiko took big gulps from the water bottle. Physical activity certainly was not her strong suit. Kiyoko handed the girl a towel to wipe off her sweat.

Tsukiko noticed and accepted the towel. "T-thank you!" she said quietly. She quickly became aware that everybody was now huddled around her and staring at her. Many had looks of worry like Sugawara and Daichi while others had looks of curiosity like Hinata.

Then there were people like Tsukishima who couldn't look less interested at the matter at hand.

Tsukiko immediately became nervous at the weight of their stares and looked down, her hair covering her eyes.

She swiftly stood up, surprising many of the volleyball players, and bowed down at a perfect 90-degree angle. "I-I'm very sorry f-for interrupting y-your practice!"

"A-ah! That's all right, as long as you're okay now. We were just about to wrap up anyway." Daichi replied, still a little surprised at the girl's sudden actions.

"But you must need something important though since you came running here so frantically, right?" Sugawara asked.

Tsukiko looked up and blushed. "U-umm…I-I wanted to s-see the volleyball team p-practice!"

 _You mean you wanted to see Tanaka practice._ The team thought, all while looking directly at Tanaka. He looked back and forth at all of them with furrowed eyebrows as if he was telepathically asking them, "What?!" in a defensive manner.

Tsukiko continued, "B-but it looks like I'm t-too late." She looked disappointed and the team mentally thought that it was cute. She looked like a child who had been denied some much-wanted candy. That kind of childish innocence was hard to come by at their age and it was just a nice sight to see in general.

The girl then realized something. How could she just barge in here without restraint? Not only did she interrupt their practice, she also caused them to worry about her. This wasn't something important like Sugawara suggested. It was just her acting inconsiderately. She shouldn't be disappointed when she just acted so rudely and selfishly! Tsukiko immediately looked down in shame, her hair covering her eyes again.

The team misinterpreted that as her getting extremely upset from her disappointment and thought she was about to cry. They became frantic about how to comfort a crying girl, but Tanaka came to the rescue.

"H-hey! It's okay! We're still in the middle of practice so you can still watch a little of it, right guys?" The boys agreed and smiled at the girl. She looked up again and blushed a bit. "O-okay!"

The boys returned to their positions and started practice again. Kiyoko sat with Tsukiko on the bench.

"T-thank you for the t-towel! M-my name is Kita Tsukiko!" She was very nervous at having to sit next to and speak to an upperclassman, especially such a beautiful one like Kiyoko.

"Shimizu Kiyoko." Kiyoko nodded to Tsukiko as a type of greeting and as a way of saying "You're welcome". Tsukiko realized that Kiyoko wasn't a person of many words, but she found that she had an unexpectedly large amount of comfort around the third-year.

The sound of a volleyball hitting somebody's palm in a serve brought Tsukiko's attention to the court.

Since it was still relatively close to the beginning of the year, their plays were still a little rough around the edges with the new first-years. Even so, their teamwork was incredible to Tsukiko. Especially the teamwork between two of the first-years, the tall one with a face that looked to be stuck in a frown and a shorter boy with orange hair who crashed into Tsukiko before.

After being faked out by Hinata as a decoy, Tsukishima tried to catch up and block Tanaka's incoming spike, but was unable to do so.

"OOOHH YEAAAAAHH! HOW'S THAT, PUNK!?" Unlike before, Tanaka got overly excited about his successful spike.

"Tch!" Tsukishima became irritated at the fact that he couldn't stop this idiot's spike and at Tanaka's incessant cheering.

Tanaka anxiously peered over at the bench to see if Tsukiko was watching.

Oh, she was watching.

Tsukiko was completely floored. She was in awe at Tanaka's playing as well as the volleyball team as a whole. She hadn't expected them to be so amazing that they made the sport look easy. Even though she didn't have much experience in the sport, she could tell that the players had much skill.

The orange haired boy could jump almost just as high as their tallest players. His speed and agility was also not something to laugh at. Also, _is he hitting the ball with his eyes closed?_ The frowny-faced boy set the ball with such speed and precision it scared Tsukiko. The man that looked to be the captain was receiving almost all of the balls with ease. Last, but not least, Tanaka spiked the ball with such power it made a loud slamming noise when it connected with the floor.

They all looked to be having so much fun.

Tsukiko smiled at this. "The team…" The first-year girl turned her attention to Kiyoko's voice.

"The team…is good." The team's manager smiled slightly in pride while continuing to watch them practice.

Tsukiko smiled as well and turned her head to the court again. She met Tanaka's gaze. Her face went from its normal pale color to a deep red in an instant. Tsukiko became flustered and nearly dropped the water bottle in her hands.

Tanaka was now blushing at how cute the girl was being. Before he could do anything, he was called back into the game.

His game was a complete 180 from before Tsukiko was here. Well, now Sugawara and Daichi knew what was wrong. They gave each other knowing smiles.

Their practice soon ended and all of them were drinking from their water bottles while using a towel to wipe off their sweat.

Tsukiko checked her phone for the time and was startled. She looked out the windows. It was almost pitch black outside. "Oh no! It's so late! Mother and father will be worried…" she muttered, but Sugawara still heard her.

"It is pretty late. It's dangerous for a girl to go home by herself at this time of night though…" Sugawara looked at Daichi with a sneaky smile.

Daichi caught on. "Yeah! One of us should walk you home. How about you, Tanaka?"

"W-walk me home?!"/"W-walk her home?!" both Tsukiko and Tanaka exclaimed at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

_Th-thump! Th-thump!_

The sound of Tsukiko's heart was deafening to her as she walked down the street with him. She truly hoped that Tanaka wouldn't be able to hear it.

Unbeknownst to her, Tanaka was thinking the exact same thing about his own heartbeat.

It was an odd sight – those two. They were two students in the middle of the night, walking down the street, looking like a couple. No, they weren't holding hands, but they were awkwardly blushing and trying not to make eye contact. They weren't even exactly walking side by side either. Tsukiko was lagging just a little bit behind Tanaka.

How did this situation come about? Well…

* * *

" _W-walk me home?!"/"W-walk her home?!" both Tsukiko and Tanaka exclaimed at the same time._

" _Yeah, somebody has to! I think you would be the best choice, I mean, she already knows who you are." Daichi explained._

 _Sugawara chimed in. "Right! You're not refusing, are you? I'm sure you'll do fine in taking care of her. You do want to be a good senpai, don't you?"_

 _Sugawara and Daichi were quite sly, as they both knew how much Tanaka got a swollen head once he was complimented. They also knew how much it meant to him to act like and be called a 'senpai'._

 _Their predictions were shown to be completely accurate when Tanaka puffed out his chest and spoke proudly. "Of course! What kind of senpai – what kind of_ _ **man**_ _– would I be if I didn't even do_ _ **that**_ _much?!"_

 _Sugawara and Daichi both smirked at each other due to their success._

 _Kiyoko noticed that Tsukiko was still mulling over the fact that a_ _ **boy**_ _would be walking her home. Her mind was frantic because of her overthinking things. One could practically see her eyes turning into swirls and little sweat droplets flying off her head in different directions. Kiyoko gently set her hand on Tsukiko's shoulder. "Only if you're okay with it." Kiyoko reassured her._

 _All the boys were now looking at her again, especially Tanaka. He waited with bated breath for her response._

" _Pfft. As if any girl would want to be accompanied by someone like him." Tsukishima cut in with a snicker._

 _Of course, Tanaka got mad at this. "What was that, punk?!" He was about to grab the front of Tsukishima's shirt, but Tsukiko's voice stopped him before he could._

" _U-um! I-it's all right. I-I'm fine w-with it. Thank you f-for offering."_

 _Tanaka's eyes widened. Did she really just say yes? All previous anger towards Tsukishima had disappeared._

 _Sugawara smiled. "Well, you better get going then! It's not getting any earlier!" He started pushing the two of them out the doors._

" _And don't worry about cleaning duty today. I'll let you off just this once, got it?" Daichi stated. By now, Tanaka and Tsukiko were outside._

 _Daichi took one of the doors while Sugawara took the other. They were entirely synchronized and wouldn't let Tanaka or Tsukiko get a chance to say anything. "Bye!"_

 _ **Slam!**_

* * *

So there they were. Tsukiko had stutteringly told Tanaka her address and now they were both on their way.

Tanaka noticed that she wasn't walking beside him like he expected. He was a little disheartened, but not by much. He stopped walking and turned to Tsukiko, causing her to stop as well.

He had his hand on the back of his neck while still avoiding eye contact. "Y-you know, you don't have to walk behind me just because I'm older than you. I'm okay with you walking next to me." He finally looked at her and gave her a lopsided smile. "I-I won't bite." He gave a nervous laugh.

Tsukiko looked up at him, surprised. During volleyball practice, he was loud and confident. Now, he was being a little shy and a bit submissive, which was completely unlike how he was before.

Tsukiko found herself liking both sides of him.

She nodded at Tanaka and started walking alongside him. They were back to avoiding eye contact and becoming tomatoes.

Tanaka peered at Tsukiko through the corners of his eyes. This was the first time that he really got a good look at her. This was the first time he could look at her without a clouded mind. No worries about having to find out her name and no frantic thoughts about her actions.

The more he looked at her, the more he found her to be cute. She wasn't cool or attractive in the same way that Kiyoko was, but Tsukiko was a different beauty. Her clean appearance and shy nature offered its own kind of attractiveness.

She was tightly clutching her briefcase book bag with both hands, her face devoid of its normal paleness and replaced with a bright red, her head looking down at her feet, occasionally looking up to make sure she didn't run into anything.

Her actions made her even more adorable to Tanaka, if that was even possible.

All of sudden, Tanaka realized what he was doing was all wrong. Sugawara and Daichi gave him a golden opportunity! He shouldn't be wasting his time just staring at Tsukiko (As much as he would have liked to do so). He should be using this chance to get further acquainted with her!

"S-so! Uh, I'm Tanaka Ryunosuke!"

.

.

.

The hell kind of way to get further acquainted is that? She already knows your name, idiot.

Tanaka was internally screaming at his idiocy before he heard Tsukiko give a small giggle. He blushed further as the sound tickled his eardrums.

"I-I know. You i-introduced yourself b-before." She became a little relieved to know that she wasn't the only one who was nervous. She decided to play along now that she gained some confidence. "W-well, I'm Kita Tsukiko! N-nice to m-meet you!" She smiled at him with her eyes closed.

Tanaka swore he heard and felt his heart skip a beat.

He laughed loudly to play it off. "Haha! That was pretty stupid of me, huh?" He gave her his own eyes-closed, wide, million-dollar smile.

Tsukiko swore she heard and felt her heart skip a beat.

She laughed along with him. Before either of them knew it, they had made it to her house.

"I guess this is your stop…" Tanaka was disappointed that he had to leave her already. The time he spent with her didn't feel long enough at all.

Tsukiko nodded at him, but she had yet to go into her house. Tanaka wondered why she was just standing there and not moving.

Tsukiko gave one of her signature 90-degree bows, surprising Tanaka. "I-I'm sorry!"

Tanaka was utterly confused. "S-sorry for what?"

She looked back up at him. "I-I'm sorry f-for coming to your p-practice so late."

Oh, _that_. Tanaka was so happy with today's events, he completely forgot about that.

"I-I was about t-to go, b-but sensei s-stopped me. He w-wanted me to join the S-student Council." Tsukiko looked ashamed at her own actions, so Tanaka quickly jumped in to assure her that he didn't take offense.

"Hey, it's okay! I'm not mad! I love volleyball so if it's club activities, I understand. I mean, it's not like you purposefully blew me off and it's not like you forgot or anything, so I'm happy about that." Tanaka rubbed is index finger underneath is nose and his cheeks had a slight tint of pink to them.

After realizing the last thing he said, Tanaka became worried he might have freaked Tsukiko out. He became flustered, trying to say something – anything – to fix the problem. His arms were flailing everywhere and the slight tint of pink on his cheeks from before turned into a hearty scarlet.

Tanaka paused his actions once again at the sound of Tsukiko's giggling. "I'm g-glad that you u-understand, but I s-still don't feel r-right. As an a-apology, would it be all right t-to come to your p-practice again t-tomorrow?"

Tanaka's eyes widened. Did she really just ask to see him practice again? He gulped and replied nervously, "Y-yeah! You can do that, but you don't have anything to feel sorry for. You don't have to do this if you don't want to!"

Tsukiko shook her head vigorously. "N-no! I-I want to d-do this!" She was sure that she would have a fever by the end of the night with how much she was blushing. "A-anyways, I should g-go inside. I-I don't want to w-worry my parents m-more." With that, she quickly retreated into her home.

Tanaka was left standing outside, stock-still with saucers for eyes and warm cheeks. He lifted both of his fists up before his torso and swiftly drew them back towards his body in a sort of double fist pump. "YEEEESSSSSS!"

In the Kita household, Tsukiko had her back against the front door she just came through. She could clearly hear Tanaka's cheers of celebration. She blushed profusely and clutched her hands to her rapidly beating heart.


	10. Chapter 10

_Clink._

Tsukiko's chopsticks clinked against her bowl. She had just finished eating and was preparing to tell her parents that she was going to come home late. She looked to her guardians.

Her mother was at the sink, washing the dishes. Her father sat at the head of the table and was reading the newspaper as usual.

Something seemed oddly familiar about this scene.

This time, it was Tsukiko's mother who noticed that she was just sitting there. "Oh, are you done eating, sweetie? Here, hand me the dishes." Her mother held out her hand for the dishes. Tsukiko complied. "U-um…" Both of her parents looked in her direction.

"I-I'm going to be home l-late again…Is that o-okay?" Her father widened his eyes. This was the first in a long time that his daughter was being so outgoing. Usually she would be home right after school. There were a couple times in a whole semester where she would stay for classroom cleaning duty or for festival preparations, but never consecutively for some other reason. "Again? What are you staying for?" Her father asked. He truly hoped that it wouldn't be because of the _**boys'**_ volleyball club again.

"I'm j-joining the Student Council t-today." Both parents' eyes widened. Her mother was the first to react. "Honey, that's great! I'm so happy to see you joining a club! What position are you?" "V-vice-President."

Her father gave a boisterous laugh. "That's my girl! Next thing you know, she'll be President in no time!" He started muttering to himself about how smart and capable his little Tsu-chan was. Tsukiko slightly smiled. Her heart was swelling with pride, but she still needed to tell them about also going to the boys' volleyball team practice. "I-I'm also going to w-watch –" She was cut off by her mother's hand covering her mouth.

"Oh, Tsukiko! Look at the time! You'll be late for school if you don't leave soon." With that, her mother pushed Tsukiko's briefcase book bag to her and then proceeded to push Tsukiko to the front door. Tsukiko's father was still busy muttering about how great his daughter is and hadn't even noticed that Tsukiko had something else to say, nor did he notice how his wife cut her off and was urging Tsukiko to leave.

When they reached the front door, Tsukiko gave her mother a questioning look. Her mother already knew what Tsukiko wanted to ask. "I know you were about to say that you were also going to watch the boys' volleyball team practice, but if you _had_ said it, your father would've freaked out. Then, _neither_ of us would hear the end of it."

Tsukiko nodded at her mother, but still held a small bit of confusion on her face. Why would her father be troubled about her going to the boys' volleyball practice?

Her mother looked at her knowingly. Of course her daughter wouldn't know. She probably wasn't even aware of the extent of her father's affections towards her, but she wasn't going to touch on that subject now.

"You're going for that boy, aren't you? The one from last night? The one who walked you home?" Tsukiko gave a startled squeal of embarrassment and her cheeks flushed the usual red. She hadn't known that her mother was aware of the whole situation yesterday. Her mother hadn't said a single word about it, nor did she give any sort of indication that she saw the events that transpired.

Her mother always knew though. She wasn't completely oblivious to her daughter's activities. She witnessed the events of last night through the kitchen window, while she just about finished preparing dinner. Of course she couldn't hear the conversation, but she could've taken a few guesses as to the topic, seeing how both of them were flustered.

Tsukiko's mother gave her own squeal. "My daughter is finally blossoming into a young woman!" Tsukiko blushed further at that. "I-I'm just going as an a-apology! I treated him unfairly, s-so I wanted to repay him…" She trailed off, gripping her briefcase book bag tightly while looking down at her feet.

It was then that her mother figured out that Tsukiko probably didn't entirely realize her own feelings towards the boy. It was only natural; it was most definitely the first time her daughter was experiencing these kinds of emotions. She still needed time to process them fully. She also needed to completely come to terms with her feelings before she could even think of confiding them to her mother.

"In any case, have fun at school today and don't worry about watching the volleyball team practice. Let's just keep that a secret from your father, okay?" Her mother winked as she held her index finger up to her slightly puckered lips in a shushing motion.

Tsukiko gave a confused nod and went on her way to school, mulling about having to go to the Student Council room before she could watch the boys' volleyball team practice.

* * *

Tsukiko stood in front of the Student Council room. She was reluctant to go in because of all the noise. There were sounds of rustling papers, banging of chairs and desks, as well as screaming directed towards Matsumoto.

"HIROKI, YOU IDIOT! Why didn't you tell me about her sooner! I would've stayed to make sure you couldn't scare her off!" An unfamiliar voice yelled.

Matsumoto's laughter could be heard. He abruptly slid the door open to run out, surprising both the Council and Tsukiko. Everyone froze with wide eyes.

Matsumoto still had his hand on the side of the door. Tsukiko got a clear view of the inside of the room.

Directly behind Matsumoto was a girl who was still in the position to throw a book at him. Her hand holding the book was poised above her head, about to perform the swinging motion. Another girl was directly behind her along with the twins, Katsuo and Katsuro. The Secretary, Hideaki, just stood on the sidelines.

All of them stared at Tsukiko.

She stared back, feeling extreme awkwardness. She felt her cheeks warm up.

Matsumoto burst with laughter. "Haha! Look at that! She's here! I told you everything would be okay, Prez!" He told the girl who was about to throw a book at him.

She quickly set down the book and put her fist up to her mouth, clearing her throat uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry for all the commotion and if we startled you in any way, Kita-san. Please come in." The female president invited.

Matsumoto came behind Tsukiko and gently pushed her back, ushering her in. "Glad you could make it!" In a much lower tone he stated, "You just saved me from her wrath." He chuckled, earning a glare from the female president.

The Co-President turned her gaze back to Tsukiko. "Please have a seat." She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. Tsukiko hesitantly took a seat.

"I sincerely apologize for any inconveniences our _other_ Co-President has given you." Once again, she directed a glare at Matsumoto, but he simply brushed it off and smiled back at her.

"My name is Hanamura Chie and this is our Public Relations Officer, Katagiri Keiko." Hanamura gestured to the girl next to her. "I assume you've already met the other members of the Student Council?" Tsukiko nodded. "Well, now that I've introduced myself, let's get to the matter at hand. You're here to answer our request of becoming the Vice President, yes? I'm sorry if I'm pressuring you, but the Student Council has many obligations that we need to tend to."

"Y-yes, it's all right. U-um if it's a-alright with everyone, I would l-like to apply for the p-position." Matsumoto laughed. "Ki-chan, there isn't even a need for you to apply. _We_ scouted _you_ , so we're happy that you've accepted the position!"

"For once, I agree with him." Matsumoto made a pouty face at that. "Currently, our situation is a little…" she looked around at the trashed room. "…hectic."

The female Co-President took a stack of papers out from a drawer on her desk. "For now, you can fill out these application forms. Do you think you can have them done by tomorrow? If so, you'll start your duties then." "O-okay." Tsukiko replied. Even though Hanamura was so formal, there was also a certain calming politeness that eased Tsukiko's mind. That, and Matsumoto continuously making faces on the side, made things less tense. He then smiled at Tsukiko.

"Yay! Ki-chan's going to be one of us! One of us! One of us! One of us!" Hanamura shot him another glare, but smiled nonetheless, as did the other members of the Student Council.

"That is all then. Come here tomorrow at the same time with the filled out application forms. I hope to be able to work well with you in the future." Hanamura stood, walked around her desk, and offered her hand for a handshake. Tsukiko frantically stood up and shook the president's hand. "Y-yes! I hope to w-work with you all a-as well! She was then escorted out of the Student Council room.

"See you later Ki-chan!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Th-thump! Th-thump!_

Tanaka's heart was beating erratically while he was changing in the small locker room. Tsukiko would be watching him at practice again, and for the _whole time_ this time. Last time, it was fine because she had only stayed for the last bit of practice. In that amount of time, there was no chance for her to see him mess up.

Not that he would, of course! He was one of the best spikers on the team!

However, having Tsukiko around to watch his every move for the entire practice might be a little too much for Tanaka. It wasn't just his spikes that she would be seeing anymore. What if she saw him miss receives? What if she saw him going for a spike and having the ball going to Hinata instead? Even worse, what if she saw hi-

Tanaka was suddenly hit with an immense amount of pain at his side. Ennoshita had used his hand to jab Tanaka. "Keep making a scrunched face like that and you'll have wrinkles on your face forever. Then you'll _really_ never get a girlfriend. Also, you're being creepy."

Tanaka was still writhing at the unexpected pain to properly respond. "Aww, don't be so hard on him Ennoshita! I'm sure he's just excited and nervous about that cute first-year coming to watch, right Tanaka?" Narita tried defending him.

The problem was that Tanaka did not want anyone thinking that he could get this worried over a girl. He was a _man_ after all! How could something as little as this faze him! Not even getting ignored by Kiyoko fazed him, but this seemed to be just the issue. Perhaps the fact that he had never really garnered that much female attention was the reason for his nervousness. His lack of experience was now getting to him.

"N-no! I was just…uhh…I was just…wondering what I'll be eating for dinner! Yeah, that's it!"

.

.

.

"Riiight…" Ennoshita gave him that look that he always gave him when he completely didn't believe him and when he was also tired of his sh*t. "I-it's true!" "Uh-huh" They all just decided to leave it be and head off to practice.

Rather than the vibrant and almost "pink" mood that Tanaka had over the previous days, he now had a darker mood. While helping to set up the nets, Tanaka had a sort of gloomy atmosphere surrounding him and everyone could hear him muttering things of "What if…"

Sugawara looked on with worry. "T-Tanaka?" He started, testing the waters. "Is everything…okay?" Tanaka jumped at his voice, being to preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice his presence. "Suga-san! Everything is fine! No need to worry!" The rigidness in his voice proved otherwise.

Sugawara still had his brows furrowed in worry, but he decided not to press the issue. He decided, instead, to ask him about Tsukiko. "Well, alright then. Anyways, you got Tsukiko back home safely last night, right?" At the mention of the first-year, Tanaka's face flushed.

Noticing the obvious blush, Sugawara probed. "Say, is she going to come watch us practice again?" The blush deepened. Sugawara took that as a 'yes.' "That's not what you're worried about is it?" "N-no!" He looked at him incredulously. "…Maybe a little…"

Sugawara chuckled. "I don't think you need to be worried. She looked pretty amazed just by your few spikes yesterday. If you're still worried though, I'll pass to you a few extra times just to make you a little cooler!" The third-year setter gave him his bona fide closed-eyes smile. Tanaka beamed. "Suga-san!"

The setter pat him on the shoulder. "Don't mention it! Although, I really can't say the same for your receives." He teased. The second-year stiffened at that, having his worries reawakened. His receives were certainly better than Hinata's, but they obviously were not at the level of Daichi's.

Just then, the gym door opened, revealing Kiyoko. "A-afternoon, Kiyoko-san!" Hinata spluttered out, but then noticed someone trailing behind. "Oooh! You're the girl from yesterday!" Tsukiko blushed and became very self-conscious about all of the eyes on her.

She did her signature ninety-degree bow. "P-pardon my intrusion! I-is it alright if I w-watch you all practice?" Daichi and Sugawara snuck peeks at Tanaka. Tsukiko said "you all" as if she didn't come here just to watch Tanaka, but most of them probably knew better.

Daichi responded first, "Of course! You can sit on the bench or you can go to the upper level to watch if you'd like." "T-thank you very much!" Tsukiko opted for the bench.

With that commotion having passed, everyone prepared to begin practice, starting with 3-on-3s. Tanaka began sweating profusely, not because of practice, however. His worries from earlier were slowly beginning to take shape. His receives were poorer than usual and his spikes were less than satisfactory. He looked over at Tsukiko.

She had a sort of sad look on her face with slightly furrowed eyebrows. Tanaka's heart dropped, for he took this look of hers to be disappointment. Perhaps she was thinking that she was mistaken for having thought of him as being amazing yesterday. Perhaps she was thinking that his fabulous spikes yesterday were just flukes or luck. Perhaps she was beginning to think that she shouldn't have expected so much from him.

He couldn't be further from the truth. The look she held was one of worry. Of course, with her physical capabilities, Tsukiko didn't know much about sports, including volleyball. Even so, she could clearly tell there was something off about Tanaka's playing. She had only seen a bit of what he could do yesterday, but she found him to be amazing. Using it as a comparison, there was definitely something wrong with Tanaka today.

Her head began to think of the negatives. Perhaps he was feeling ill. Or maybe he hurt himself yesterday. It couldn't be because he was too tired from walking her home and now it was affecting him, could it? The thoughts continued to swim in her head, worrying both her and Tanaka. Tsukiko's face contorted further with worry.

Noticing this, Tanaka became more disheartened, thinking her face was showing more disappointment than worry. All of a sudden, he felt a smack on the top of his head. "Ow! What the he—Eh? Suga-san?" He looked at his upperclassman questioningly.

"What's going on Tanaka? I thought I told you that you didn't need to worry. Look, now you've gotten Tsukiko-chan worried too!" Worried? Ah, so _that's_ what her face was showing. Then Tanaka's heart sped up. She was worried about him? Really?

Sugawara sighed. "Okay, Tanaka. I'm going to set you the ball one more time. Do it right this time, got it?" The wing spiker beamed at this. "Yes!" Keeping to his word, Tanaka performed his best spike this practice and past Tsukishima, no less. The blonde clicked his tongue in annoyance, hoping to squander the boy's efforts.

"What's that Tsukishima? Don't think you can block me forever! You're plenty of years too early to beat your senpai!" Tanaka laughed in triumph. He proceeded to snatch a glance at Tsukiko and he was relieved to see a face of awe rather than worry or disappointment.

The girl gave a silent sigh of relief as well. There was no cause for concern after all. He was probably just warming up.

Tanaka's performance at practice was stellar for the remaining time and Tsukiko's eyes continued to follow him the whole way.


	12. Chapter 12

_Tap, tap, tap!_

The sound of Tsukiko's footsteps were echoing in her head even though it was lunch time and the hallways were bustling with other students. Despite the noise, Tsukiko could only focus on her footsteps and her pathway – her pathway to the second-year section of the school. She was on her way to deliver some Student Council paperwork to Matsumoto.

Of course, it wasn't like this was her first time delivering papers to the Co-President. This was a common job that she had done many times in the past month, but that fact did little to ease her nerves at being surrounded by upperclassmen.

More importantly, she had to go to classroom one of the second-year section.

Tanaka was also a student of classroom one.

There was a likely chance that Tanaka was eating there for lunch just like the first time she visited, but for some reason or another, she had always just missed him all the other times. Sometimes he had gone to the bathroom or he had gone to the vending machines. Despite not having seen him much since the last time she went to a volleyball practice, she always thought about him being there when she was going to classroom one.

For reasons she couldn't understand, Tsukiko was hyper aware of this. It wasn't like he was any different from the other second-years…right?

Well, regardless of what was causing it, Tsukiko was so nervous that she ended up at the door to the classroom before even realizing it, just as she did the first time. Breathing in and out to calm herself, if only a little, she gently slid the door open.

Once again, Tanaka was eating lunch in his classroom with all the other second-years of the volleyball club. This time, it even included Nishinoya Yuu. The "overly excitable" boy had taken to using his lunch time to find innovative ways to practice volleyball. However, now that his one month ban on club activities was finally over and now that Asahi was finally back to the club as well, he no longer needed to practice at all times during lunch.

All five of the second-year volleyball club members were together in classroom one, particularly because of concerns about Tanaka's and Nishinoya's grades. Needless to say, their grades were far from exemplary, and to some (Ennoshita), far from satisfactory. Both of them had begged Ennoshita and Narita for assistance in their respective homework that would be due for each just after lunch, seeing as the two boys were enrolled in the college prep classes. They had even asked for help from Kinoshita. Although he wasn't in a college prep class like the other two, his grades were still better than the excitable duo.

"I don't get what you don't get! I just told you how to do this! Tell me what you don't understand!" Ennoshita was getting a _bit_ annoyed.

"How can I tell you what I don't understand if I don't even understand what I don't understand?!" It was evident that this was frustrating for both parties. Tanaka simply opted to give up and just slumped back in his chair, letting his head fall back and causing him to stare up at the ceiling in contemplation of his impending fate of lectures from teachers.

This train of thought did not last long, as he was rather used to being disliked by his teachers. Instead, his mind travelled to where it tended to travel for the past month.

Kita Tsukiko.

Ever since the last time she saw one of his volleyball practices, she had always eluded him. Not on purpose, of course. There weren't many chances for them to come across each other in the first place. Being in different years, they were in completely different sections of the school and being in different clubs, they had even less chance to interact.

However, on occasion, he thought he saw her in the midst of a crowd or the possible swish of her long hair when she turned the corner of a hallway along with a bustling of students. Those occasions never leaded to anything more and he felt more disappointment at that than he thought he would. As such, he was left to think about her constantly when he wasn't thinking about volleyball or being frustrated with school work.

He thought about her more-than-modest appearance, her demure personality, her signature 90-degree bows, her look of awe at his spiking, and most of all, her smile.

 _Oh, her_ _ **smile**_.

It was something he'd seen only a handful of times. He could probably count the number of shy smiles she gave to him on both hands, if not one, but it was enough to know that he would give anything to see her smile at him again.

Just as he was reminiscing about her shy smiles and cute blushes, Nishinoya smacked the desk with both hands and leaned forward in his seat.

"OOOOOOOHHHH! Who's that cute Ojou-sama!" His eyes sparkled at the "Ojou-sama." Tanaka, along with the other second-years, followed Nishinoya's line of sight. His breath caught in his throat. The girl that was just plaguing his thoughts was right here in front of him.

Kita Tsukiko.

Tsukiko, despite all her nervousness at coming here, was still vigilant in her duties as the Vice President of the Student Council. She was going over all the paperwork that she handed over to Matsumoto, one by one. Every time he stopped to skim one over, she took that brief moment to glance at the cluster of second-year volleyball players, or rather, at Tanaka.

This was the first time in a while that she had seen him. On occasion, she would hear his loud voice even amongst the noise of lunch time, or she thought she caught a glimpse of the top of his shaved head between people in a crowd. Those occasions never leaded to anything more and she felt more disappointment at that than she thought she would.

Matsumoto began to skim over another paper and she took that chance for another look. Just as she went to glance at him again, she was met with not one, but five pairs of eyes. All five of the second-years were looking at her, some with curiosity, some with moderate disinterest, and some with amazement.

She locked eyes with Tanaka in the same instant and she squeaked in both surprise and embarrassment. The telltale heat of her cheeks let her know that she was certainly blushing immensely right now from being caught. Matsumoto looked up from the paper at her small sound.

"Hmm? Woah!" He was about to ask what was the matter when she smacked the rest of the paperwork into his chest, and he scrambled to hold them before they scattered.

"U-UM! L-lunchIsAboutToEndAndIMustGoNow!" She all but yelped, momentarily forgoing her usual stutter for speed in the hopes that she could escape the classroom faster in embarrassment.

Tsukiko clambered out of the classroom, not acknowledging Matsumoto's yells of concern.


	13. Chapter 13

_Sigh_.

Tanaka was able to breathe again after Tsukiko dashed out of the classroom. She left as soon as she noticed them looking back at her. Hopefully it was only due to embarrassment and not because she was avoiding him. She had no reason to…right?

The second-year wing spiker was seriously thinking about whether or not he should go after her when his thoughts were interrupted by Narita's voice. "Oh, hey. That was the girl that came to see some of our practices a while back."

"She did!?" Nishinoya exclaimed. There was no way he could've missed a girl going to see their practice – Especially not an "Ojou-sama" like her. Narita responded, "Ah, it was before you and Asahi came back though."

Kinoshita chimed in, "Yeah, and don't you mean she's the girl that came to see _**Tanaka**_ practice?" He put special emphasis on the wing spiker's name, causing all of the second-years to smirk at him with the exception of Nishinoya.

"Ryuuuuu! You never told me you got a girlfriend!" The libero laughed and smacked his back in approval with enough force to cause the others to shiver at the sound. His statement prompted a blush that Tanaka hadn't felt since having Tsukiko admire his spikes.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I-it's not like that, Noya-san! She was just repaying me for a misunderstanding…or something…" His voice grew more quiet and hesitant towards the end. She really wasn't his girlfriend, but openly admitting that brought him much disappointment.

Nishinoya tilted his head and looked at him curiously, as this was quite unusual for his friend. Basically nothing could get him down. Not even getting ignored by Kiyoko-san. In fact, the boy rather seemed to enjoy it! So why was this new girl any different? Well, regardless, Nishinoya wanted to cheer his friend on.

He pat his back, much softer than before. It was like the kind of pats of reassurance you would give on the court when a teammate messed up a receive or had one of their spikes blocked. "Ryu! Don't mind!"

"Eh? Ah, okay, thanks…I guess…?" Did he really seem that put down from this?

Kinoshita chuckled at the libero's choice of words. "Nishinoya! This isn't like some volleyball match." The other second-years snickered. "You're treating it as if he got dumped or something." Ennoshita added, trying to hide his snickering with his hand. "Shut up, you b*stards!"

Unbeknownst to them, Matsumoto was listening intently to their conversation. Although, it probably wasn't too hard, seeing as the excitable duo were always particularly loud. He smirked to himself, hatching a little plan of his own. Oh, he couldn't wait for club activities to start.

* * *

With her extreme embarrassment and small stature, Tsukiko easily wove through the crowds of students returning to their classrooms. After what felt like an eternity, she reached her own classroom and slid into her seat, panting a little from her speed walking/running.

The small bit of exercise didn't help to cool the heat on her face and she put her hands on each cheek to somewhat hide the scarlet hue. She couldn't believe what had just occurred! Tsukiko had wanted to see the boy, yes, but her eyes naturally gravitated towards him whenever she wasn't talking with Matsumoto. She hadn't even been thinking about her actions – they just happened. And to think she had gotten caught too! She was mortified.

Still looking down at her lap, using her hair to cover the rest of her face, she sighed in distress. This predicament caused her much more concern than she would've thought. Hopefully he didn't think that she was weird or anything.

Tsukiko's sigh drew the attention of the blonde girl seated in front of her. "U-um! Kita-san, is everything okay?" Still being absorbed in her own thoughts and not expecting anybody to be talking to her, Tsukiko's head shot straight up, surprising the blonde.

Tsukiko stared wide-eyed at Yachi. The two girls weren't especially close like normal friends. They could be considered cordial acquaintances at best. It wasn't because they didn't like each other, but because of Tsukiko's reserved nature and Yachi's, not as extreme, but timid enough personality. They occasionally exchanged small pleasantries before class started and notes when the teacher went through the lesson too fast.

It was safe to say that, out of everyone in the class, Tsukiko probably "talked" to Yachi the most. Yachi's similar timidity put the girl more at ease than when she spoke with others. She didn't forget the shy smiles they exchanged with each other on Tsukiko's first day either.

"I-I'm sorry! E-everything is o-okay!" Tsukiko couldn't do her regular bow, so she opted to just bow her head, almost as if in shame that she was worrying another person. Yachi became flustered and wanted to relieve Tsukiko's concerns. She was about to ask again to make sure if things were _really_ okay, but the teacher walked in as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. Instead, Yachi nodded assuredly at Tsukiko, encouraging her in whatever problems she may be having.

If anything, though they may not be considered real friends yet, Tsukiko was glad that she made at least some progress in attaining meaningful relationships.

* * *

After school, Tsukiko was in the Student Council room, helping the Co-President, Hanamura, with the piles and piles of paperwork. Suddenly, the sliding door slammed to the right and Matsumoto bursted into the room.

"Hey Prez!" "Be quiet! This isn't some playground and as a member of the Student Council, you should at least hold yourself to a higher standard and act as such! How many times do I have to tell you that?" These types of interactions were normal between the two Presidents with their clashing personalities, but Tsukiko always felt uncomfortable being on the sidelines anyways.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the boys' volleyball practice?" Tsukiko perked up at that, not without Matsumoto's notice. He turned to completely face Hanamura at her desk, leaving his broad back towards the first-year.

"Right, right! I'm going there to evaluate whether or not they can continue to practice in the gym all by themselves, right? I mean, after all, they haven't been doing so hot in tournaments, so it's a little unfair for other sports clubs to have to share spaces and whatnot. I was thinking, maybe I could bring along Ki-chan? It'd be good experience for her to have as the Vice-President. Pretty soon, she'll have to deal with clubs fighting for spaces!"

Hanamura looked at the other President in confusion. Although it was true that they needed to assess whether club spaces were being properly and appropriately used, it wasn't necessarily true that a sports club's performance in tournaments determined the space they were allotted. That was solely up to the conflicting sports clubs, and the Student Council only had a part in ensuring that no future problems would arise.

She was about to open her mouth to question what Matsumoto was talking about, but he held up his index finger to his lips in a type of shushing motion and winked at her. His actions went unnoticed by Tsukiko since he was completely facing the female President. Quickly, he asked, "So? Do you think it's a good idea to bring Ki-chan?"

Hanamura continued to look at him with suspicion, but after working with him for so long, she knew better than to object to whatever it was he was trying to do. She responded, "Yes, that's fine. But remember that this is your job! Don't you dare try to put all the work on Kita-san!" Matsumoto laughed, ensuring her that he wouldn't. "Come on Ki-chan! Let's go! Let's go!" He gently pushed her out of the room.

His actions were interrupted by Hanamura calling out to him. He left Tsukiko standing in the hallway and walked back toward the desk. The Co-President looked at him critically and reprimanded him, "I don't know what scheme you're planning, but you better not do anything to disgrace the Student Council."

"It's okay! It's nothing serious! It's just for Ki-chan's own good!" With that, he went to the gymnasium, dragging Tsukiko along.

Hanamura shook her head and sighed at his actions, wondering what he was going to do to that poor girl.


	14. Chapter 14

_Bang!_

"HOGYAA!" The sudden, loud noise resonating from the slammed gymnasium doors caused Hinata's head to swerve in that direction. Losing his focus, he received the ball with his face. "Hinata, you dumbass!" was heard along a chorus of sarcastic "Nice receive!" and snickering. Coach Ukai momentarily stopped the practice.

Matsumoto openly laughed. Lifting up a hand in a wave and flashing a seemingly friendly closed-eyes smile, he greeted them. "Hey boys' volleyball club! Sorry for the intrusion, what's up?" Like a small, scared animal, Tsukiko poked her head out from behind the boy. That odd human-like noise and the sound of a volleyball hitting flesh did not sound pleasant, nor did it ease her nerves in coming here.

Tanaka's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh? Ryu! It's your future girlfriend!" Nishinoya exclaimed. "Wh-what?! F-future girlfriend?! Noya-san, please!" The wing spiker became flustered, trying to quiet the libero so as to not cause any misunderstandings between him and the shy first-year girl. Although…it did sound rather nice to refer to her as his girlfriend. "Pfft, I'd feel bad for her if that's what her future holds." "Tsukishima, you b*stard!"

Luckily, despite how loud Nishinoya was, Tsukiko was too concerned about trying to keep her stability in front of so many upperclassmen to hear him. Matsumoto continued, "I am Matsumoto Hiroki, Co-President of the Student Council, and this is my cute little Vice President, Kita Tsukiko!"

Tsukiko flinched at his introduction of her, blushing furiously not only because of his embarrassing words, but also because many of the club members' eyes travelled to her. She refused to look at anything but her shoes for the moment.

Tanaka flinched as well, but for a different reason. He had a sudden flare of anger at Matsumoto's words. Since when had they become so close?! And the way he was making her blush? Tanaka glared at the fellow second-year, mentally declaring that no man should be able to make Tsukiko look so cute but himself! However, he couldn't be mad for long. After all, did he really have the right to think that? She wasn't exactly his girlfriend…yet(?)

Daichi questioned, "The Student Council? What do we owe this visit?" Takeda piped in, "Oh! I guess it's that time of the year again. Inspections, right?" Hinata tilted his head in confusion, "Inspections?"

"Bingo! The Student Council is doing inspections to evaluate whether club spaces are being properly used by respective clubs and whether or not clubs can continue to operate." Matsumoto answered, continuing to use the same closed-eyes smile that he walked in with.

The smile was oddly familiar, and not in a comforting sense. It unnerved the second and third-years, often seeing this very same menacingly subtle smile on their own captain. Daichi thought, " _Ah. He's a cunning one."_ He announced, "Well, as you can see, the volleyball club is operating just fine and we are properly using our space and the club room."

"Ah, yes, I see. Well, uhh…hmm. How should I put this?" The president put his hand to his chin in thought. "Inspections for sports clubs in particular are…how you say... _ **particular**_. They require a bit more troubleshooting, you see. Other clubs are relatively easy to deal with since they just need an average classroom. Sports clubs, however, require a much larger space and sometimes, conflicts may occur between different sports clubs."

The third-years furrowed their eyebrows at that. "Yes, I'm sure you remember your small squabble with the boys' basketball club. Luckily, the girls' volleyball club agreed to share half of the other gymnasium with them, so you were able to keep this entire gym all for yourselves." The third-years furrowed their eyebrows further, not liking his choice of words or where this was leading.

"Sometimes, feelings of unrest may arise. For instance, why should certain sports clubs have to share a space when there are other sports clubs who have full spaces? Especially when that sports club's performance in tournaments and the like are…excuse me… _ **subpar**_."

Everyone in the club was thoroughly angered at this point. Tanaka and Nishinoya glared and took a step forward, "Hey! You wanna fight!?" Their actions were halted by Daichi holding his arm out in front of them, despite him being just as angry at Matsumoto's words.

Takeda worriedly chipped in, "Matsumoto-kun! As the faculty advisor for this club, I can assure you that these boys are going to issue a new era in Karasuno volleyball!" Ukai nodded, "Yeah, you haven't seen what these kids can do yet."

Matsumoto offered them a sad smile, "I appreciate your input Takeda-sensei, I really do. But if we were to always simply just listen to the faculty advisors and coaches on this matter, then the Student Council wouldn't be having any of these inspections at all, would they? As you know, 'actions speak louder than words', right? And so far, this club's actions have been less than exemplary in many aspects."

The volleyball players were **livid**. Iflooks could kill, Matsumoto would have already been burned at the stake, had his soul sold to the devil, and been boiled alive.

Completely forgetting her embarrassment, Tsukiko stared wide-eyed at the boy. She was appalled at his words. Was this really the kind-hearted Matsumoto that she came to know? What was he saying? Of course, these inspections were required, but he was wrong about this club! She wasn't an expert on volleyball, but from what she saw, this team was capable!

Matsumoto continued his relentless assault, "We'll talk about overall club performance later, but I can see that interclub relations aren't doing so hot either."

His gaze travelled to the freak duo, "Ranging from new members at each other's throats and even getting their applications initially rejected…"

His eyes now went to the ace, "Having someone that other schools have rumors about being a delinquent and a veteran member skipping out on club practices for a month…"

To the trio of second-year members, "Members that nearly quit the club entirely at the first sign of difficulty…"

To the tallest member, "First-years completely disrespecting their upperclassmen…"

To the shortest member, "An overly excitable member being suspended from school for a week, banned from club activities for a month, breaking a flower vase in school, and even shoving the Vice Principal…"

Of course, all of the things that he was saying were true, and each member flinched at his jabs, but by no means were they becoming less angered.

"And to top it all off, you guys ignored the Vice Principal's warnings and even blew off his wig!"

Matsumoto responded to all of their glares with a derisive smirk, "Going back to your club's performance…What do other schools call you again? Ah, right, the ' _ **Fallen Champions**_ ' and the ' _ **Flightless Crows**_.' I think it's easy to say that it isn't quite fair to other sports clubs that you have this big gymnasium to yourself. As far as I'm concerned, this club isn't very strong at all."

Just as they were all about to unleash their fury on him, a loud, higher-pitched voice yelled, "You're wrong!"

Everybody looked towards the source. Tsukiko was as pale as snow and she had both her hands clasped against her mouth. Eyes incredibly wide and nearly sweating profusely, she looked as if she herself couldn't believe that she had even spoken out – Against an upperclassman, no less!

Matsumoto smirked in content, but he changed his expression before anybody could see through his ruse. "Hmm? What did you say Ki-chan?"

She had only been part of the Student Council for a month and she certainly had no right to question Matsumoto's decisions or actions, but for some reason, she couldn't let this slide. She knew this team had potential and she needed to say at least something.

"Y-y-y-you're w-wrong." With the passing adrenaline, her stutter was worse than before since it was coupled with the fear of talking back to the Co-President. "I-I don't k-know m-much about v-volleyball, b-but I believe th-they have p-potential! I w-watched some of th-their practices, a-and I really th-think they could b-be a s-strong team s-someday. Th-they are c-clearly passionate a-about v-volleyball! I-if you would, p-p-please give them a ch-chance!" She finished off with a deep bow.

Many of the club members looked at her in admiration or appreciation, entirely grateful to Tsukiko for her support.

After her short input, it seemed as if minutes went by before Matsumoto broke the silence. "Hmm, well there you have it!" Her head shot up to look at the boy. He flashed one of his regular, genuine, completely at ease smiles, as if he agreed with everything the shy girl said.

.

.

.

"Eh?"

"I trust my cute little Vice President's decisions and if she believes that this club will do fine, then I'll leave it at that!" Matsumoto explained. Before anybody could say anything else, he quickly continued, "Takeda-sensei, I have to check your equipment and changing room, so if you would kindly give me the keys?"

"Oh! O-Of course! Let me walk you!" The two of them began to walk out of the gymnasium and Matsumoto called back, "Ki-chan, I want you to stay and watch the rest of the practice and report back to me the team's progress. Thanks!" He left like a passing storm.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko's head was left spinning from the adrenaline, embarrassment, and confusion.


	15. Chapter 15

_"_ _ **UUOOOOHHHHH!"**_

Hinata's and Nishinoya's shouts brought Tsukiko and most of the volleyball members out of their trances. "Vice President-san! That was amazing!" The small middle blocker exclaimed. Nishinoya nodded vigorously in agreement, "Yeah! That was super cool what you said back there!"

Snapping out of her confusion and going straight into embarrassment, Tsukiko clasped her hands together and looked down. "I-It was r-really nothing! I-I-I just s-said what I b-believe is a-all…"

"No…" Her eyes snapped up to meet Tanaka's. "It wasn't nothing! You defended our volleyball club! Thanks!" With that, he bowed deeply with the rest of the members following suit. " **Thank you for your support!** " Tsukiko's face reddened further, if that were even possible.

"P-Please raise your h-heads! I-It was r-really no p-problem!" She frantically waved her hands in dismissal. It was normally _her_ doing the bowing and she was completely unaccustomed to the other way around.

Ukai interrupted, "Well, in any case, you're staying for the practice, right?" She nodded and Daichi clapped his hands together to get the members' attention. "Let's show the Student Council what we're made of!" He was met with shouts of determination and excitement. The members were back to a normal practice in no time at all, and Tsukiko seated herself next to the manager on the bench.

"E-Excuse me. M-May I s-sit here?" Kiyoko gave a slight nod of acceptance and Tsukiko looked on at the 6-on-6 scrimmage. She was once again entranced by their playing when her attention came back to the manager. "Thank you for your kind words…" Kiyoko said in a quiet voice. Becoming flustered from being acknowledged by such a beautiful upperclassman, Tsukiko could do nothing but nod frantically.

"Not just for giving us a chance either. You seem to have fired up some of our members." The third-year smiled while looking at the match. It seemed as though the excitable members were even more excitable today. The shy first-year could easily see the shine of pride in the manager's eyes, even past the glasses. Tsukiko continued to look on at their practice.

The red team, indicated by the red pinnies they wore, had just scored a point and all of the members were rearranging themselves on the court to prepare for the next play. During this period, Tanaka and Nishinoya glanced at the girls talking on the bench.

"Ooooohh! Kiyoko-san is talking, and smiling, and her lips are moving!" They said in unison. Nishinoya continued, "Man, that 'Ojou-President' is really something! First, she stands up for us and now she's getting Kiyoko-san to talk so much. As expected of your future girlfriend, Ryu! Nice receive!"

Tanaka blushed furiously and waved his hands around, frantically gazing between the two girls behind him and Nishinoya. "N-Noya-san! I told you it's not like that! What'll you do if she hears you!"

Meanwhile, the second-year trio stared at the duo in slight confusion. "Did he just try to combine 'Ojou-sama' and Vice President…?" "And isn't it supposed to be she's a 'good catch' not 'Nice receive'?" "He's treating this just like a volleyball match again…"

The practice went on and it eventually came time for them to clean up. Tanaka was working up the courage to go and speak with Tsukiko, but for some reason, this was even more difficult than talking with Kiyoko for the first time.

Hinata seemed to do it easily with his cheery nature. "Ah! Vice President-san! Is that our report?" The girl jumped at his sudden shout. "N-no, I'm n-not really in ch-charge of this s-stuff. I just t-took down some n-notes to l-let the p-presidents know h-how the volleyball club is d-doing…"

"Uuoooh! Your notes are so pretty and neat!"

 _Like her_. The thought entered the second-year wing spiker's mind so easily, it even surprised him. It gave him a jolt. Of course! How could he be letting his underclassmen best him? This was no time to be dilly-dallying! He was even more resolved to go talk to the girl, but was interrupted by her attempt to address the entire club.

"U-Um! Thank you f-for letting me w-watch your p-practice, and I-I apologize for a-any inconveniences." She gave her signature bow and ended, "E-excuse me!" She dashed out of the gym with her notes.

No, he couldn't let this chance slip by. Tanaka raced after her. His reaction was fast enough and he easily caught up to her. "Kita-san!" She spun around in surprise, still with a light blush. Her surprised face caught Tanaka off guard, not expecting her to look so _**cute**_.

He was momentarily at a loss for words, "U-Uh…U-Um…L-Let me walk you home! I-It's already dark out, and it's dangerous for a cute girl like you to walk out by herself!" Oh, god. Did he really say that cute part out loud?

Just before he was about to apologize for imposing, Tsukiko's small voice was heard. "…I-If you're o-okay with th-that…th-then please d-do. I-I would l-like…that…" She slowly faded out, embarrassed at her own words.

Tanaka continued to stare at her wide-eyed and his extended gaze was beginning to make her fidget. "I'll wait for you by the gates!" He shouted before he could lose his nerves and went back into the gym to finish cleaning up, his right hand clutching his chest over his heart while he went.

Tsukiko's eyes followed him until he couldn't be seen anymore. When he was finally out of sight, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Her right hand lightly clutched her chest over her heart, and she went on her way to the Student Council room.

* * *

Tanaka was walking out of the school along with the rest of his teammates, but stopped at the gates. Sugawara turned around and asked, "Hmm? You're staying back Tanaka?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm gonna walk Kita-san home. It's dangerous for her to walk alone at night." Sugawara and Daichi glanced at each other and smirked at Tanaka, causing him to blush a little.

"Ooooohhh! Nice Ryu! How manly!" Nishinoya smiled excitedly.

"Be safe." Daichi pat his shoulder.

"Hehe, maybe you can even hold her hand on the way back?" Sugawara teased with his closed-eyes grin.

"Eh? The Vice President is Tanaka's girlfriend? Wow…" Asahi looked at him with amazement.

"Hmm, I don't think they're quite at that point in their _relationship_ yet." Ennoshita snickered.

"Y-You guys!" Tanaka yelled in indignation.

"T-Tanaka-senpai! Fight!" Hinata wasn't exactly sure of what was going on, but Tanaka had always cheered him on. The least the young crow could do was do the same for his upperclassman. "Hinata, even you?!" The second-year shouted in disbelief. At least the boy had good intentions.

"U-Umm…" Everyone looked at the shy girl who had just arrived. Tanaka paled a bit, wondering just how much of that she had heard. Amongst a series of chuckles and snickers, "Well, that's our cue. Have fun, you two!" And with that, Tanaka and Tsukiko were left alone to walk together.


	16. Chapter 16

_Tap, tap, tap._

The first half of the walk was silent, save for the sounds of their footsteps. This was because of Tsukiko's timidity and Tanaka's indecision on a conversation topic.

Seeing some of the street posts and houses, he recognized that they were closely approaching her home. With the fear of running out of time, he finally settled with what happened today.

"H-Hey, umm…about what you did for us today. I know we thanked you already, but I wanted to do it again, personally. Seriously, thank you for that. It really meant a lot to know that people still think we can be strong. And you let us keep our club space too!"

She avoided eye contact as usual, but it seemed slightly different from her normal embarrassment this time. There was a twinge of guilt? "A-about that…" She delved into the story.

* * *

" _Oh! Ki-chan, you're back!" Tsukiko bowed to the two presidents. "I-I would like t-to give my r-review of the v-volleyball club."_

 _Hanamura slowly turned her head to glare at Matsumoto, assuming that he gave her_ _ **his**_ _job when that was the very thing she told him_ _ **not**_ _to do._

" _A-ah! Prez, don't get mad! Hear me out first!" He pleaded, putting both hands up in a surrendering motion. She said nothing and nodded for him to go on, keeping her icy glare._

" _Ahem!" He coughed awkwardly, still fearful of the female president. "Well, Ki-chan, there's a little something I was keeping from you, and I'll apologize for that if you want me to." She tilted her head in confusion._

 _He continued, putting one hand on the desk and leaning sideways next to Hanamura, "I had planned on letting the volleyball club keep their space since they_ _ **are**_ _using it properly. That whole thing about shoving them out because of their poor performance in tournaments was a lie. I mean, some sports clubs might actually get mad, but so far, there are no room conflicts. I was just bluffing the whole time. Sorry!" He clapped and held his hands together while bowing his head with his apology._

 _Tsukiko stared at him, mouth agape. "Ah! And all of those horrible things I said about the club and its members…I was just trying to play the bad guy! It doesn't mean anything, so please continue thinking of me as your kind-hearted senpai!" He held up two fingers in a peace sign. "Would you mind apologizing to them for me and tell them I didn't mean any of it?"_

 _Hanamura smacked his hand down. "OW! Preeeeeezzzz, that huuuurt!" He yelped, rubbing the smacked hand. "Why don't you apologize to them yourself, you imbecile!" She sighed and rubbed the space between her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, hoping to alleviate the stress and stupidity brought on by her Co-President._

" _W-Why?" Tsukiko was finally able to ask after much time spent processing this information. Hanamura looked to him for answers as well._

" _Hmm? Oh, right! I just wanted to see how you would react. This was a good learning experience for you, right? Sooner or later, you'll need to make similar difficult decisions for yourself if you stay in the Student Council. Think of today like a trial period! 'Student Council members must be able to properly assess the situation, even if opinions on the matter are at conflict!'" He quoted the last part from his female counterpart, for once taking her advice._

"… _I-I see…" Although she understood where he was coming from, did he really have to go so far? The boys of the volleyball club were incredibly offended!_

 _Matsumoto plucked Tsukiko's notes out of her hands. "Well, enough of that! The trial period is over and it's late. Someone's waiting to walk you home, right?" He began gently pushing her out of the room. "E-Eh!? H-How did you kn-know?" He slid the door closed while not really answering. "Have fun!"_

* * *

"A-And that's what h-happened." Unbeknownst to Tsukiko, Matsumoto's ulterior motive was to actually get her closer to Tanaka, since her affections for the boy were quite obvious. Seeing how kind of a girl she is, he knew she would stand up for the club somehow, but who knew the turnout would be this great? When she walked towards the gate to meet Tanaka, Matsumoto looked on from the windows of the Student Council room. _"I'm rooting for you, Ki-chan!"_

After a few moments of silence and hearing no reaction from the second-year, Tsukiko tentatively peered up at him. She gasped.

The girl was met with a _**very**_ angry Tanaka. His eyebrows were incredibly furrowed, making wrinkles across the area, and he was gritting his teeth. Glaring at seemingly nothing ahead of him, he responded, "That b*stard! I can't believe him! Even if he didn't mean it, those things still pissed us off! And he also worried you!"

He momentarily snapped out of his fit to add on, "I mean, I'm happy you stood up for us, but that guy could've handled this better. What kind of man and senpai is he?! Worrying an innocent girl like you!" The wing spiker continued his grumbling.

Tsukiko stared with wide eyes, her blush increasing. Of course, he would be upset about the whole ordeal, but to know that he was getting mad for her sake as well made her heart do a little skip. She quickly looked away from him before he noticed and tried to calm her heart.

"U-Um…" Tanaka stopped his muttering and gave her his full attention. "M-Matsumoto-senpai could have h-handled this b-better, but I-I'm happy at t-the outcome, n-nevertheless."

He continued to look at her, prompting her to continue. She looked up at him occasionally throughout her speech. "I-I'm always a-afraid to speak m-my mind because I-I'm so sh-shy, but when h-he was saying b-bad things a-about you all, I j-just couldn't help m-myself."

"W-When I s-saw you p-practice, I could t-tell you were s-strong even without kn-knowing much a-about volleyball! A-And you looked l-like you w-were really enjoying i-it. I c-couldn't just let h-him talk b-bad about y-you." His eyes widened at the last part, his cheeks reddening slightly.

Unfortunately missing the small tint in his cheeks because of the darkness, she misinterpreted his look and grew frantic. "I-It wasn't j-just you either! T-The whole team i-is strong!" She quickly added, assuming that he was thinking about her not addressing the entire team.

Even though she added that last bit, Tanaka was still immensely happy. She was talking about his teammates and friends after all! He also still held onto that little hope that she was looking mostly at him when she saw the practices.

Noticing that they had reached her house, Tsukiko bowed to him, simultaneously grateful and disappointed. Grateful that the journey had ended so she wouldn't have the chance to embarrass herself further, but disappointed that she wouldn't get to walk and talk with him further.

Tanaka felt the same disappointment and threw a shot in the dark, "Hey, umm…would you…want to exchange numbers?" She shot up so fast, her head almost collided with his chin.

"I-I mean! If you keep coming to the practices, you could maybe let me know and I'll inform the other guys…?" He offered a lame excuse, but she appeared to buy it. "O-Oh! O-Of course! I a-apologize for i-intruding!" She whipped out her own phone, and they exchanged numbers through infrared.

Tanaka held his phone and looked at it as if it were a phone of the gods. He just got a girl's phone number. _He just got a girl's phone number!_ And a cute girl's number at that!

Tsukiko bowed to him once more and they departed ways. She rushed into her house and Tanaka skipped to his, singing a happy tune the entire way.

He went straight to laying on his bed when he got home. Still lying down, he held open the phone right above his face. He stared at her contact information. _"I got her number!"_ His eyes could almost get watery at the thought.

Suddenly the phone blasted a little jingle, causing his grip to loosen. The phone smacked right into his face.

Okay, now his eyes were _actually_ getting watery.

 _From: Kita Tsukiko_

 _Subject: Thank you!_

 _Text:_ _Thank you for walking me home! This will have been the second time, so I apologize for causing you trouble._ (ó﹏ò｡) _I hope you got back home safely! See you tomorrow!_ (´• ω •`)ﾉ

She wrote as nice as she acted, and those emoticons she used were so cute. How fitting! He probably read it at least three times before he realized he needed to respond. He replied with saying he did arrive home safely and that walking her home was no trouble at all.

After hitting send, he thought to himself. He had read the text in her voice, but obviously since it was a text, there was no stutter. It sounded nice – especially the 'see you tomorrow' part. He clutched his phone to his chest.

He hoped that maybe one day she would be comfortable enough with him to actually speak that way in real life.


	17. Chapter 17

_Beep! Beep!_

The loud noise among the quietness of the house startled Tsukiko. Thankfully, she was already awake and was dressing for school. Realizing that the sound came from her phone, she wondered who could be texting her this early in the morning. It couldn't be him…could it?

 _From: Tanaka Ryunosuke_

 _Subject: Morning!_

Oh gosh! It really was from him! This was a pleasant surprise for the first-year girl. Taking a deep breath, Tsukiko started to read.

 _Text: Good morning Kita-san! Sorry if I woke you up! I hope that you had pleasant dreams last night!_

Tsukiko giggled at his vast array of punctuation. All exclamation points. It was very like him. She also smiled at how considerate he was, being concerned about waking her up. She continued reading.

 _Last night I had some terrible thoughts!_ _I've walked you home but not to school and you walking alone to school is just as dangerous as you walking home alone! Let me walk you to school if you don't mind! What kind of man and senpai would I be if I couldn't even do that much for you!?_

Her eyes widened the further she read the text and her hands holding the phone began to shake slightly. He was coming here to walk her to school!? Now!? She was hardly mentally prepared for that! Just him walking her back home was barely enough for her to handle!

Not to mention that there would be many more people around them and they could be seen walking together. The thought of all those eyes on her embarrassed Tsukiko to no end.

Walking with an upperclassman to school. A _**male**_ upperclassman. Wouldn't they look like…like a…c-cou– Oh, she couldn't even bring herself to think of that word without blushing. She was reading and re-reading the text at least five times over, trying to make sure that walking her to school today was indeed the boy's intention.

"Aren't you going to answer?" "EEK!" Tsukiko literally jumped at the voice, obviously too engrossed with the text. In the process, her grip on her phone loosened and she scrambled to catch it.

With the phone securely in her hands again, she sighed in relief and immediately turned to meet her mother. Sheepish eyes were met with amused ones. Her mother used a hand to try and cover her smile and laugh. "Sorry, dear! I was just thinking that it was taking you much longer than usual to come down for breakfast, so I came up to check on you." She apologized in between giggling.

After calming down, she continued, "Oh my! My little girl really is growing up! A few visits to the volleyball club and you've already got a boy wrapped around your finger!~~"

Tsukiko's cheeks were burning, and she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up with a fever with all this added heat. "I-It's not like…that…" She managed to choke out.

"Not yet, at least!~~~" The older women teased. Deciding to spare her daughter from further teasing, "Well, at the very least, there's no harm in him walking you is there? Don't hesitate so much! Message him back!" Tsukiko could do nothing but nod and listen to her mother.

After she replied, she followed her mother out the room and down the stairs for breakfast. Not even a step down the stairs, however, her phone beeped again. "He's quite the eager one, isn't he?" Her mother joked, eliciting another deep blush.

 _From: Tanaka Ryunosuke_

 _Subject RE:RE: Morning!_

 _Text: Alright! I'll be right there! Give me fifteen minutes!_ (￣^￣)ゞ

"Fifteen minutes, huh? Better get a move on breakfast then!" Her mother urged her into the kitchen and sat her down. Both greeted her father and breakfast proceeded in its usual calm manner.

Except this time wasn't usual.

Just as she finished her meal, Tsukiko's phone beeped again. Assuming it was Tanaka letting her know that he had arrived, the older woman urged her daughter out. "You better get going! Don't want to be late to school!" She said with a wink.

Before she could turn to go to the door, however, her father said, "Ah! Actually, Tsu-chan, why don't I drive you to school today? Papa hasn't done that in a while, and I would love to have some father-daughter bonding since I've been so busy with work."

The eyes of both girls widened but for different reasons. Tsukiko had every intention of going with her father if that was what he really wished. She just felt horrible for making Tanaka go all this way for nothing.

Tsukiko's mother, on the other hand, had widened eyes because this was the absolute worst situation. Not only would her darling daughter miss a golden opportunity to further blossom into a woman, but her husband was most certainly not prepared to see a young man waiting outside the house. He'd keep Tsukiko under lock and key for maybe the next few years while balling his eyes out for the next few months.

Quickly thinking of an excuse, "U-Um! Honey, don't you think Tsukiko should walk though? I-I mean, she seems to have put on a bit of weight recently, and I think any bit of exercise would help!" _Sorry, Tsukiko!_

The man gave a drastic gasp. "How could you say that!? She absolutely has NOT put on weight. And even if she did, my little Tsu-chan would still be a beautiful young lady! He continued on and on, doting on his little girl, getting louder and louder along the way. His wife took this chance while he was distracted.

"Go on, and don't even think about turning back, okay?" Before she could reply, Tsukiko was pushed out the door. The click of the closing door was followed by her mother's shouts, telling her husband to shut up.

Tanaka looked between Tsukiko walking up to him with a blushing face and the house with confusion. Trying to make small talk, "Morning! Your family's kind of lively, huh? Do you have a lot of siblings?" With how quiet and shy she was, he hadn't expected the other occupants of the house to be so loud. Not that he didn't like her quietness and shyness, of course.

They began walking and she shook her head in response. He gave her a look of surprise and then one of concern. "That was just your parents!? Were they having an argument or something?" She explained things to him as best as she could. The problem was that she genuinely believed her mother's words and didn't know of the woman's hidden motive.

She wasn't overly upset at what her mother said, but it seemed like Tanaka was. He had a slight furrow to his brows while he was looking forward and walking. "Your dad's right! You haven't put on weight at all, and there's no way you wouldn't be beautiful anyways!"

.

.

.

Oh, man. He said that beautiful part out loud again, didn't he?

Normally, Tanaka would have no qualms about complimenting a girl and calling her beautiful. His reactions with Kiyoko were proof of this. For some reason though, it was different with Tsukiko. Maybe it was because he knew how easily embarrassed she got? Or perhaps…it was another reason?

The second-year became flustered and quickly looked to the girl. If he could combine all the times that she had blushed around him into one moment, it still wouldn't have come close to the blazing scarlet she displayed now.

It didn't help that they were already at the front gates of the school with so many other students around.

Becoming flustered himself and waving his hands around frantically, Tanaka quickly tried to recover. "I-I u-uh, w-well you know! I-I mean—ack!" Obviously, he wasn't doing so well.

This only further attracted the gaze of other students.

And _that_ only further made Tsukiko embarrassed.

Completely unable to utter a single noise, she simply bowed, face still aflame and rushed into the building as if running away from all of her problems. "Ah! Wait!" He stretched his hand forward to stop her, but it was already too late.

For someone who was supposedly not athletic at all, the girl could run pretty quick when she wanted to.

Tanaka was brought out of his brief moment of shock when the warning bell rang.

Oh well, he'll have to apologize later. Next time, he'd make sure to tell her how beautiful she was properly, and not just in passing. Her blushing face was definitely too cute.


	18. Chapter 18

_Ahhh._

 _It's Kita-san…she's as perfect as ever. Such a beauty…so proper…the perfect 'Ojou-sama'…_

Yachi was walking up to the gates of the school when she noticed that Tsukiko had rounded the corner. She took the time to admire her beauty.

It wasn't as if Tsukiko was stunningly beautiful like that third-year beauty she had heard about. If anything, Tsukiko was a bit more on the plain side compared to that goddess, but there was just something about how prim and proper the girl was. It created her own type of allure.

As a result, Yachi was scared to talk to the girl at first. _What if her fans think I'm trying to take her away!? What if they think I'm too much of a 'country bumpkin' to even be around her?! Or what if they think I'm tainting her innocence! Ahhhhh!_

Yachi's overactive, assuming, and highly paranoid imagination always ran its course when first meeting people like Tsukiko or those that generally didn't fit "normal" appearances.

After talking to her occasionally during breaks and exchanging notes because the teacher went too fast, Yachi realized that the girl was just as timid as her. In fact, she knew that Tsukiko was _**much**_ more timid than her.

But she also found out how considerate and how repentant she was. To be honest, Yachi figured that Tsukiko said "I'm sorry!" more times than any other phrase and more times than any other person. With this revelation, Yachi tried talking to the girl a little bit more, and they slowly developed a mutual acquaintanceship.

While the blonde was admiring her classmate, she noticed that another person rounded the corner. Surprised by this new presence, Yachi dove to hide behind a nearby light post…Not that it really helped since the light post was much thinner than she was. There was also no reason to hide since the two people hadn't even noticed her. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

The new presence was a man with a shaved head. It was clear that they were walking together since they were side by side and walking at the same pace. They stopped a little bit into the gates of the school, and all of a sudden, the boy with the shaved head started saying something while waving his hands frantically. Yachi was too far away to hear what he said, but it was clearly directed at Tsukiko.

Just as Yachi was going to walk closer to see who this man was clearly, Tsukiko bowed deeply and ran off into the school. The blonde could see the man's outstretched hand trying to stop her, but she was long gone.

Yachi's eyes were the widest they had ever been, and her mouth looked like it would've touched the ground in surprise.

 _Th-They…They…They couldn't be a-a-a c-c-co-_

 _COAXING DELIQUENT AND POOR GIRL BEING EXTORTED, COULD THEY?! That "shaved head man" did look like a delinquent, I mean look at his shaved head! Was he trying to extort Kita-san?! Or maybe he was blackmailing her for something?! Didn't she just do that bow to show respect or something. Or-Or-Or maybe that was her pimp, and he won't let her go, forcing her to work for him?! What do I do?! What do I dooooo?!_

Unfortunately, due to Tanaka's natural looks and Yachi's inability to see the scarlet hue on Tsukiko's cheeks, she completely misunderstood the situation. Her hyperactive imagination only served to make the misunderstanding even worse.

She quickly rushed into the school and to the classroom. "KITA-SAAAAAAAAN!" She nearly slammed into the girl's desk before slamming both of her hands on the surface. The loud voice and sound jolted Tsukiko back in surprise. She was too busy thinking about how Tanaka had inadvertently complimented her again to notice the rush of blonde before the noise registered.

Yachi leaned in close in order to whisper, her voice trembling, "I-It's o-okay, Kita-san! Y-You'll g-g-get through th-this! I-I'll do whatever I c-can to help you!" The more reserved of the two gave off a look of complete confusion.

"Y-Yachi-san, wh-what are you t-talking about?" She whispered back. Yachi grabbed both of Tsukiko's hands and held them between her own. "I know you're going through a tough time, Kita-san! I can't believe you've been holding it all in all by yourself, but I'm here for you. Whatever you need, just tell me! We won't let that delinquent dictate your life forever!" Yachi gasped in revelation and dove her hands into her pockets for her cellphone. "P-Phone! W-We can call the p-police!"

Realizing that she was talking about Tanaka, Tsukiko felt that Yachi's actions felt somewhat familiar. She, herself, had first thought that Tanaka was a delinquent. She spoke, trying to calm the other girl, "W-Wait! Yachi-san, a-are you t-talking about T-Tanaka-senpai?"

.

.

.

"Tanaka… _ **senpai**_?" Yachi repeated slowly, stressing the "senpai." She was calling him "senpai." _OH MY GOD! ARE THEY PART OF THE YAKUZA AND SHE WAS PAYING HIM RESPECT BECAUSE HE'S HER 'HIGHER-UP'?!_

Clearly, Yachi forgot that Tanaka was clearly wearing the school's uniform, further misunderstanding her situation.

Tsukiko assumed that the blonde's silence was a sign for explanation. "Y-Yes! H-He's a second-year i-in class o-one!"

"…You mean…he's not a delinquent trying to extort you?" "N-No! Not at a-all! H-He's been n-nothing but k-kind to m-me!"

Yachi stepped back, holding her hands up in surprise. _OH NOOOOOOO! I MADE ASSUMPTIONS BECAUSE OF HIS APPEARANCE!_

"I'M SO SORRY FOR MISUNDERSTANDING, KITA-SAN! I'M HORRIBLE FOR JUDGING A BOOK BY IT'S COVER. PLEASE, FORGIVE ME!" She shouted, bowing multiple times. Noticing that they were attracting a lot of attention, Tsukiko spoke in a hushed voice, "P-Please, Yachi-san! I-It's okay! J-Just settle d-down, p-please!"

After a big ruckus and many apologies later, the second bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. Before they could continue their "conversation," the teacher walked in and began the class.

Yachi could barely pay attention to anything that the teacher was saying, and she hardly wrote any notes at all. She was much too worried about her actions and constantly glanced back at Tsukiko.

It felt like ages before half the day passed, and the bell rang, signaling lunch time. She immediately turned around to Tsukiko. "Kita-san! I'm really sorry! I really thought you were in trouble!"

Tsukiko giggled a bit, thinking Yachi's overreaction was a bit much and relating to her so much. She went on to explain that she also thought Tanaka was a delinquent at first, and how she felt just as bad as Yachi for assuming that. She then explained what exactly happened this morning at the gates while they ate their lunches.

Tsukiko had kept her eyes down on her lap towards the end because she was still embarrassed over the whole ordeal. After not hearing any sound or response for a bit, she glanced up to find Yachi with a look of awe, hand holding chopsticks in the air just before the food could reach her mouth. The small clump of rice fell out from between the chopsticks and plopped back into the lunchbox.

"U-Um…Y-Yachi-san…?" "He's your boyfriend?!" _The year has barely started and she's already got a boyfriend! And an upperclassman, too! Wow, she really is from a whole other class from me._ Again, she misunderstood the situation. Although, in her defense, they certainly could have looked like a couple, especially from Tsukiko's explanation.

"B-Boyfriend?! N-No! H-He's just an u-upperclassman!" "EEEHHH!? Did I assume again?! Oh no! I'm so sorry!"

After managing to calm her down again, Tsukiko assured her this wasn't the case. "Are you sure? It really sounded like you guys were a couple!"

Tsukiko tilted her head and asked, "R-Really? Y-You think so…?" Unbeknownst to her, her voice held a sliver of hopefulness, and Yachi caught this. "D-Do you…Do you like him, then?" She probed.

"E-Eh!? N-No! I-I couldn't! H-He's an u-upperclassman after all!" She quickly responded, using his status as an upperclassman as a type of reason for not being allowed to like him. Trying to explain herself, "I-I just think i-it's more of…u-umm…m-more like a-admiration? …I guess?"

Even she didn't exactly know how she felt. She went on, "H-He's just s-so open a-and passionate a-about everything, a-and I'm always a-afraid to s-speak my m-mind. So I g-guess I just a-admire him, i-is all…"

Yachi understood completely, often not knowing how to convey her own true feelings, especially towards her mother. Even so, Yachi had a feeling that Tsukiko's feeling of "admiration" could maybe turn into something more someday. Or perhaps it already had, and the girl just needed to notice that.

She wouldn't push the girl to admit anything, so in the meantime, she would just quietly root for her. "Kita-san! Fight!" "E-Eh? Oh, o-okay." The shy girl responded quickly, thinking that Yachi was encouraging her to speak her mind more often.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and they both packed up their lunchboxes. They smiled to each other before Yachi turned around to face the chalkboard, much more at ease to take notes with all the misunderstandings being cleared up.

Both girls had a sense of satisfaction, feeling that they had gotten much closer to becoming true friends and not just acquaintances.


	19. Chapter 19

_**HUUUUUUUH?!**_

The usual screams emitted from the gymnasium during the boys' volleyball club practice. Nishinoya looked at Tanaka in confusion. Practice had ended and it had been quite some time since Tsukiko last went to one of their practices, so the libero took a moment to ask his fellow second-year what the situation was on his "future girlfriend."

" **What do you** _ **mean**_ **you've never called her before?!** " He shouted. "J-Just that! We've texted before though…" Tanaka responded sheepishly, cupping the back of his neck with one hand.

"Ryu! You're passing up a golden opportunity here!" It seemed like he'd been getting a lot of those. Maybe Nishinoya was right? Should he try calling her instead of just texting?

"Listen! Talking to her in person is one thing, but it's completely different hearing a girl over the phone!" Nishinoya wrapped his arms around himself, almost shivering with pleasure. "It has a completely different appeal! I mean, come on! Her voice is pressed right up against your ear! Isn't that kind of se—" **SMACK!**

"Don't be giving him any weird ideas, Nishinoya. He gets enough of those by himself already." Sugawara chastised him, letting his hand linger on the boy's head in the chopping motion for good measure.

"Owww…but if you have her number already, good job!" The libero quickly recovered. Sugawara joined in, "Yeah, it's good that you have her number, but what's stopping you from calling her?" By now, the other members joined in on the conversation. Even Tsukishima was listening, albeit all the way to the side of the gym. He wouldn't pass up juicy information to make fun of the second-year, but he definitely wouldn't make himself _appear_ interested in his troubling love life.

"U-Uh…Well…there's just been no reason too…I guess…?" He quickly added on "I-I want to! But I don't want to trouble her if I don't have a reason to call her…" Everyone looked at him with fascination. This guy, who was probably the loudest of all of them – This guy, who took his shirt off whenever he got too excited with a spike, which was lot – This guy, who looked like an idiot whenever he was trying to "intimidate" their opponents – _**This guy**_ , was acting like this towards that girl?

"Wow…Sorry Tanaka, I just didn't think you could be so…sensitive…" Asahi was the first to voice their surprise. Of course, it's not like they thought that Tanaka couldn't be compassionate. If anything, he was one of the team's biggest morale boosters, never letting anybody feel down on themselves for a misplay.

It's just that, even when he did cheer them up, he would always be straightforward about it and always just spoke what was on his mind. Hearing him be so…passive was a little shocking.

"If you wanna call her, just call her!" It was just like Nishinoya to just do whatever he felt like. Following along for once, Kageyama asked, "If she gave you her number, then wouldn't she expect you to call her?"

.

.

.

"EHHHH?! Y-You really think so?!" How could Tanaka have missed this?! All this time, she actually _**wanted**_ him to call her? But then, why hadn't _she_ called _him_? Could she possibly be feeling the same things he was?

As logical as Kageyama's reasoning was, Sugawara and Daichi couldn't just let Tanaka's mind wander off to whatever he wanted. "W-Well, it's true that she wouldn't give her number to you if she didn't want any contact from you, but you should treat this delicately!"

Daichi backed him up, "Right! Maybe she's the type of person that doesn't use phones too often, or maybe she only prefers te—"

"Ah! There she is! Kita Tsukiko was her name, right?" _**Click**_

.

.

.

It took some time for Tanaka to realize that it was his phone in Nishinoya's grip. "AHHHHH! Noya-san, what the hell!?" He dashed for the phone, but Nishinoya's reflexes were good enough to dodge him and run around.

" _Hellooooo~~~!"_ Tanaka and the others faintly heard the voice on the phone, but it certainly wasn't Tsukiko's voice. Even Nishinoya was confused. Maybe he clicked on the wrong contact? Still running from Tanaka, he proceeded to put the phone on speaker and asked, "Is this Kita Tsukiko's phone?"

"Ah! This is her mother speaking~! How may I help you Tanaka-kun~!" Tsukiko's mother had never actually met Tanaka, so it was obvious that she wouldn't know what his voice sounded like. Still, Tanaka blushed at the fact that she knew who he was, if even only a little.

"Actually, this is his friend, Yuu, speaking! He wasn't man enough to call Kita-san, so I'm doing it for him! Is your daughter free this Sunday?" Oh no. Tanaka knew exactly where this was heading and tried picking up the pace to catch up to him. Unfortunately, because of the libero's height, he was able to run and duck under and over the other team members, completely avoiding Tanaka.

"Oh, yes! She is very much free!" "Great! Then how about they have a date at the nearby shopping plaza? They can meet at the big fountain at 12!" The rest of the team heard loud squeals coming from the phone.

"Oh my! A date already! My little girl really has grown up! I'll be sure to have Tsukiko ready for Sunday! Thanks, Yuu-kun~~!" The call ended abruptly. Finally, Nishinoya stopped running and Tanaka caught up to him.

Severely tired out after straining himself so much, especially after a full-length practice, Tanaka was supporting himself with his hands on his knees while panting. Nishinoya took one of his hands and plopped the phone into it. "Here you go!" He shined an innocent, full, closed-eyes smile, seemingly proud of his achievement.

Tanaka looked at him in horror and so did many of the other members. Nishinoya realized nobody was saying anything and opened his eyes.

"…What?"

"Nishinoya! You can't just do that all of a sudden!" Sugawara was the first to snap out of it. "You're wild, Nishinoya, but that doesn't mean you can pull somebody else into your recklessness!" Daichi chided as well.

"Ahhh! Tanaka, hang in there!" Asahi was holding Tanaka in his arms. The wing spiker seemed to have fainted with his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his skin as pale as a ghost's, and his soul leaving his body through his mouth.

"Water! Somebody bring some water!"

"Call an ambulance!"

"NISHINOYA!"

"Ha ha! He'll thank me for this when he wakes up! I'm such a good friend! :D"

Meanwhile, in the Kita household, shouting was also heard, but it was closer to shouts of excitement.

"I-Is everything alright, mother?" Kita walked into her own room with her hair still wet from her recent bath.

"Oh, my darling daughter, of course everything is alright! In fact, everything is better than alright! Mama has secured you a date with your future boyfriend on Sunday~~! We need to pick your outfit right away – oh and your makeup – and your accessories! Wee~!" Her mother scampered around the room, looking for matching things for her daughter to wear.

"W-Wait! A-A date?! F-Future b-b-boyfriend? W-What are you t-talking about? W-With who?!" Tsukiko was trying her hardest to follow her mother, but the news was just too surprising.

"Why, with that boy Tanaka, of course!" She stated as if it were a matter of fact. "T-T-Tanaka-S-Senpai?!" The first-year screeched. Her face was already warm and red from the heat of the bath, but the extra warmth was unbearable. Sadly, this color did not last.

"Yes! This is it!" Her mother lifted up a bag. "This would go perfectly with that sk—" _**THUMP**_

"Tsukiko!?" She rushed over to her daughter. The poor girl seemed to have fainted with her skin as white as snow and her soul leaving her body through her mouth.

Her father's bellows could be heard, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY LITTLE TSU-CHAN?!"


	20. Chapter 20

_Gulp._

This was worse than his first ever volleyball game. This was worse than his sister embarrassing him. These nerves were far worse than anything he had ever experienced before.

He thought about his sister sending him off at the high school gates his first year and embarrassing the hell out of him. He thought about Daichi's scary, scolding face whenever he got too loud. He even thought about that time Hinata mistakenly took his jersey and he rushed out of the club room to catch him, only to be seen in his underwear by a member of the girls' tennis club and being called a pervert.

Yet, none of those moments could even come _**close**_ to how he was feeling now. Nervousness, anxiety, fear. Nearly any unpleasant emotion you could think of, Tanaka was feeling at this very moment.

He'd always wanted to act like a senpai and impress all of the underclassmen girls. He'd always thought about getting confessions from the cute girls. He'd always thought about having a girlfriend and getting an omamori charm from her, wishing him well on his volleyball tournaments.

Of course, he also thought about going on fun dates with her. Now that it was actually happening, however, he was panicking.

He was grateful to Nishinoya – that is, after the whole shock of it – but this was completely new to him. Although he definitely would not like to admit it, Tanaka wasn't exactly the most popular guy around, and he'd never been on a legitimate date before.

Not only this, but did Tsukiko even _want_ to go on a date with him? It wasn't actually her on the phone, and Tanaka was mulling over this the whole weekend.

There were countless times where he thought about messaging her, saying that Nishinoya was just playing around and that she didn't have to go on a date if she didn't want to. He even wrote out the message in a draft on his phone, but the boy couldn't bring himself to press the send button.

He didn't want to force her into anything, but would he ever get this kind of chance again? Also, she hadn't messaged him either, so maybe she was at least okay with this happening? He felt bad about not talking to her directly about this, but even more than that, he was ecstatic.

He was going on a date…with a girl…with a _**cute**_ girl. Was this even real?

Oh god, he was _**not**_ prepared for this. Not even in the slightest. He looked down at his clothes. His outfit was rather simple.

Covering his head, Tanaka was wearing a black beanie. He had on a plain orange t-shirt with a black jacket over it. He wore simple black jeans with his chain looped on the side of his belt. Was it _too_ simple? Maybe he had time to go back and change into cooler clothes.

He checked his phone for the time. 10:06 AM. He was a couple feet from the fountain, their meeting spot, but he was also two hours early for their date. He'd spent at least an hour at home deciding on what to wear. This was probably the earliest he had ever woken up on a weekend. Although, it's not like he slept much the night before anyways. Like he was now, he was fretting about today too much to sleep.

Thinking he had plenty of time to go back and change, Tanaka stuffed his phone into his pocket and was about to turn around when he heard a loud jingle coupled with a familiar surprised yelp. His head turned so quickly to the sound that his neck hurt a little after.

 _ **There she was.**_

Being a Sunday, the shopping plaza had much more people milling about. Even so, every person around just blurred into the background. Even the surrounding shops and trees faded from his vision.

He could only see one thing. One person. One girl.

 _ **Kita Tsukiko.**_

It was his first time seeing her in clothes other than the school uniform. She looked cute then, but he could barely handle her now. It was like she was glowing and sparkles surrounded her.

She wore a short, pleated skirt that reached her mid thighs. It was a light orange – almost a cream like orange. The rest of her legs were covered by black leggings tucked into light brown boots with slightly raised heels. She wore a white, lace blouse underneath a cardigan matching the color of her boots. A pastel pink, shoulder bag was draped over one of her arms. Her normally flowing long hair was tied into a loose braid and draped over her shoulder.

Even out of school, she was modest. Even out of school, she was proper.

Even out of school, she was _**beautiful**_.

"H-Hello, mother!" The shy girl quickly answered the phone. There was a short pause, letting the person on the other side of the line speak. "I-It's okay! I-I can wait f-for him. I-I like people-w-watching a-anyways. Th-The time will p-pass…" Normally she wouldn't stutter so much with her mother, but she was still in a public area. She was conscious of her voice, even though nobody was listening to her.

Nobody except Tanaka, that is.

He gulped. He began having a nervous sweat, beginning to somewhat regret wearing this unbearably warm beanie.

Long after Tsukiko ended the call, the wing spiker remained frozen in place. His eyes couldn't look anywhere but her. His mind couldn't think of anything but her.

 _This is nice…_

Of course, it may seem rude that he was making her wait when he knew she had already arrived, but the second-year couldn't help himself.

Just seeing her there...waiting… _ **for him**_. It made him all giddy on the inside and out. Tanaka gasped. Quickly, he covered his mouth with his right hand in embarrassment. Even without directly touching his cheeks, he could feel the heat emanating from them.

When he walked her home the second time, it was him that was waiting for her at the gates. Now, the roles were reversed and _she_ was waiting for _him_. The fact that she was even waiting for him meant so much.

Just seeing the girl he likes had this effect on him.

… _The girl he_ _ **likes**_.

Tanaka had plenty of girls that he "likes." The beautiful manager Kiyoko-san, the cute third-year on the girls' volleyball team Aya-senpai, the pretty idol Mayuyu. Yes, he "likes" many girls but…

 _None of them made him feel like this._

Nishinoya really was a Guardian Deity – a god. He definitely needed to thank his friend for giving him this opportunity.

But first, he needed to get through this day without turning into a puddle of goo.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Sigh.**_

Tanaka took a deep breath to calm himself down. After finishing admiring Tsukiko's beauty from afar, he was finally able to bring himself to her.

"Kita-san! I'm sorry I'm late!" He clearly wasn't, but as long as she was waiting for him, he would apologize for being "late."

Tsukiko's head jerked towards his voice and quickly responded, "A-Ah! I-It's okay, T-Tanaka-senpai. I-I just g-got here m-myself, and i-it's still e-early."

The wing spiker nodded to her, "Still, I'm sorry for making you wait." He hesitated, "Y-You look…stunning." She was already blushing before, but now her face blew up with red. She quickly tucked her head down to use her bangs as a curtain and then bowed to further hide her face.

"T-Thank you v-very much! M-My mother h-helped a l-lot…" She peeked up at him. "U-Um…y-you look v-very nice t-too…" Now it was Tanaka's turn to blush. "E-Eh? R-Really? You think so? I thought I might've been too plain." He responded, looking up in embarrassment and scratching the side of his jaw with his index finger.

Tsukiko quickly shook her head at him. "I-I don't th-think so! I th-think it s-suits you…e-especially the b-beanie…" He was ecstatic, but due to both of their embarrassment, neither said anything for a bit.

Trying to break the silence, Tanaka began, "W-Well! Let's do some window shopping or something since we're too early for the movie." The shy girl nodded at that and used both hands to clutch the sling of her bag, as if for support before she began walking. Tanaka was momentarily disappointed at that.

 _Guess there's no chance at holding hands then, huh?_

Much of the time they used for window shopping was spent in silence since Tsukiko was too shy to say much and Tanaka couldn't think of something to talk about. Their first conversation after a while was prompted by Tsukiko stopping to look at a mannequin through a shop's window.

She was looking at a simple black and white dress that reached the knees. It was a strapless, straight neckline dress. The top of the dress was fitted to the mannequin, but from the waist down, it flared out somewhat. There was a moderately sized bow pinned to the top left side. It was mostly white with only the top of the neckline, the lace at the ends of the skirt of the dress, and the outline of the bow being black. It was simple, but Tanaka felt that by no means was it plain. Not if it was on her.

"That would look perfect on you…" He blurted out involuntarily. The girl squeaked in shock. Being surprised, himself, Tanaka tried to recover, "I-I mean! Uh – Y-You would look cute in anything, but I just thought this dress would look cute on you!"

Just like that time when he walked her to school, this type of comment didn't help Tsukiko's blush one bit. It still didn't help when they heard two older women comment, "My, my! Young ones sure are bold these days!"

The two "young ones" both jumped at that, glanced at each other, and quickly looked away, the color of their cheeks matching the whole time.

Looking for an excuse to move on, Tanaka called out, "C-Come on! It's time for the movie!" Appreciating the change in topic, Tsukiko quickly followed after him.

When they reached the movie theater, he handed her a ticket. "E-Eh? L-Let me p-pay you b-back!" She reached into her bag to pull out some money, but Tanaka grabbed her hand and placed the ticket into it instead. He reveled in the feeling of touching her hand, missing the chance to do so before when they were window shopping.

She blushed further at that, but didn't pull away. "It's fine! I'm the one that asked you out here in the first place. And what kind of man would I be if I let the girl pay for everything?"

Admiring his resolve, Tsukiko chose not to press further and looked at the ticket, wondering what movie they were going to watch. Realizing it was one of those gooey, romance movies she saw trailers of on television and wanted desperately to watch, she began feeling giddy.

This feeling was soon shadowed, however, by doubt. She didn't think Tanaka was the type to watch such things. If anything, action clearly felt more like his style, and Tsukiko felt bad that he was doing this for her. She asked, "A-Are you s-sure you want t-to see th-this? W-Wouldn't you w-want to w-watch something e-else?"

Tanaka shook his head, but widened his eyes soon after. "Oh no! Do you not want to see this movie? I-I can go exchange the ticket for something else!" Trying to calm him down, Tsukiko quickly denied this, "N-No! I've a-actually wanted t-to see this m-movie for a w-while. I-I just thought m-maybe you w-wanted to w-watch something e-else…" She drifted off, unsure of herself.

Tanaka took a bold move and pat her head, causing her to look up quickly, only to be met with a shining smile. "You just said you wanted to watch this, right? Then it's fine! Come on!"

He continued to rub the top of her head while showing her his closed-eyes smile. As always, Tsukiko blushed, but she didn't look away this time. She looked right up at him, wondering just how far his kindness could go.

She thought that she would have to wait for their meeting time, but he ended up showing two hours early just like her – And he _still_ apologized. He showered her with compliments throughout their time together. Unlike how she usually took compliments with a bit of awkwardness, she took his with the feeling of elation. They made her feel giddy.

 _ **He**_ made her feel giddy. Just what was he doing to her?

Realizing she had been staring too long, she bowed and followed him into the theater.

They had seats in the center, but it didn't matter too much since there weren't that many people around them. Most of the other patrons were couples.

 _Couples._

Just noticing that detail made both of them even more hyper aware of what they were doing out here today. Thankfully, the previews started, distracting them both from these kinds of thoughts.

Unfortunately for Tanaka, while the movie started, he became more aware of the dreaded armrest between them.

To hold her hand, or to not hold her hand? This same dilemma seemed to be coming up a few times today.

After agonizing for some time, the second-year decided to gauge the situation by looking at Tsukiko. She was intently watching the screen, almost leaning forward in her focus. There was a little sparkle in her eyes, coupled with a gentle smile.

 _So cuuuuuute!_ Thinking it would be bad to stare so long that she might catch him, Tanaka began paying attention to the movie. Not wanting to disturb her comfort and being satisfied with just admiring her, he let the hand-holding issue go.

The movie turned out to be as good as Tsukiko thought it would be, and the ending was incredibly tear-jerking. The poor girl was trying her hardest to hold in her sobs, for fear that Tanaka would think her childish or something.

Finally calming down somewhat, she turned to the wing spiker but was so stunned at the sight that her tears stopped falling.

 _*Sniff*_

Not only was Tanaka crying as well, but almost his entire sleeve was wet from trying to wipe the tears off. "Th-That ending! He was so manly! I can't believe that happened him…He deserved better!"

Noticing that Tsukiko was staring at him, he started furiously wiping at his eyes with his arm. "S-Sorry! J-Just give me a minute!" He said embarrassingly.

Empathizing with him on a great level, Tsukiko dug into her bag and pulled out two handkerchiefs. She handed one to him and used the other. "H-He really d-did deserve b-better. The e-ending was so s-sad…" She proceeded to cry further.

The two were certainly a sight to see. The only ones in the theater who were not trying to leave immediately, balling their eyes out, and trying desperately to dry their tears.

After the whole debacle, the pair exited the theater, still sniffling slightly. They walked side by side in sniffles with no particular destination. Suddenly, a flutter of giggles interrupted the sniveling. Tanaka paused to look at the girl and asked, "W-What's so funny?"

The shy girl stopped and looked up at him. "I-I was just s-so concerned th-that you might n-not like the m-movie, but w-we both e-ended up c-crying. I-I didn't e-even have to w-worry." She hesitated to say the next words, but resolved herself. "T-Tanaka-senpai is k-kind, after a-all!" She ended with a bright smile.

Tanaka could only stare in awe at her. Just like when he first saw her today, she was glowing. The almost dry tears in her eyes made them shimmer, only adding to her beauty. Her nose matched the red hue of her cheeks because of all the rubbing from crying, but he thought it made her look so cute.

Quickly hiding his stare, he said, "W-Well, the movie was better than I thought! I can't believe I cried…" Seemingly remembering something important, he jolted up, "U-Um! Please don't mention this to anybody…" He blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

Tsukiko slightly giggled again and nodded. It was like the sounds of angels.

Being lunch time, Tanaka brought her to a small café. They enjoyed a nice meal in a cozy establishment, all the while stealing glances at each other.

Normally, Tanaka ate like a pig, almost inhaling his food. This time, however, he knew he would have to walk her home after their meal so he tried prolonging this time for as long as he could.

Unbeknownst to him and even Tsukiko, she was eating slightly slower than usual as well.

The moment came for them to walk home and they were once again met with silence. This was different though. Tanaka didn't feel the need to find a conversation starter and Tsukiko felt the same. They were just enjoying each other's company before they had to separate.

It was a comfortable silence.

When they reached her house, Tanaka had figured out what he wanted to say to her. He couldn't let another opportunity slip him by. He called her name, stopping her in her tracks and gaining her attention.

He held a completely serious face. "I had a lot of fun today…and I want to keep having fun with you like this. I realized today that you're a really special girl to me, Kita-san…" Tsukiko's eyes widened.

He quickly bowed before she could say anything.

" _ **Please go out with me!"**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**"Please go out with me!"**_

* _Clink_ *

.

.

.

Yachi's chopsticks fell out of her hands in shock and the piece of tamagoyaki was stuck halfway in her mouth. Her right hand was in mid-air, still in the position of having held the fallen chopsticks. She was staring at the girl across from her, unblinkingly.

The said girl couldn't meet the blonde's eyes. She fidgeted with her hands, avoiding eye contact by looking to the side and at the ground. Her mouth was shut tight and there was an inkling of concern in her eyes. Her cheeks were aflame, and thinking about the situation brightened them even more.

Finally Yachi spoke, "HE ASKED YOU OUT!?" More like yelled. Frantically trying to calm her, Tsukiko held up one finger to her lips in a shushing motion and used her other hand to wave back and forth, trying to get the point across to the other girl to be quiet.

Yachi leaned so far forward that their faces almost touched. Speaking in a loud whisper because she couldn't contain her excitement, "T-Then, you guys are d-d-dating!?"

Tsukiko blushed further at the word but slightly shook her head. The blonde gasped, "You rejected him?!" Tsukiko shook her head harder and faster at that. "N-Not quite…" At Yachi's questioning look, the shy girl explained.

* * *

" _ **Please go out with me!"**_

 _The two of them stood in complete silence after that, one remaining in the bowed position and the other looking at him in shock._

 _Noticing that she was too shaken to answer, Tanaka bolted upright. "Y-You don't have to answer now if you don't want to...There's a volleyball tournament coming up soon: the Inter-High."_

 _At the seemingly random change in topic, Tsukiko's look finally changed from one of shock to one of slight confusion._

 _Tanaka continued, "W-We're going to win, and we're going to nationals…but first, we have to beat Datekou, the guys who shut us out last year. And then we have to beat Seijoh, who we beat in a practice match before…"_

 _At this point, the wing spiker could no longer look directly into her eyes. He shifted his gaze to the side in embarrassment and spoke softly, "Y-You can give me your answer then…" Widening his eyes as if he gained an idea, he added on,_

" _ **If we beat both Datekou and Seijoh…please go out with me!**_ _"_

* * *

"I-I didn't say a-anything, s-so he just b-bowed and w-walked home…" Tsukiko ended. Even after the rest of the story, Yachi's questioning look did not disappear. "B-But you like him…?"

"I-I told y-you, i-it's not l-like that…I-I just a-admire him is a-all…" Tsukiko moved on from fidgeting with her hands to fidgeting with her chopsticks. Yachi didn't forget their previous conversation when she questioned the girl's feelings for the second-year, but she could clearly see there was something else in her friend's "admiration."

She asked, "Then why didn't you say no?" Tsukiko paused her fidgeting. She looked at Yachi. She looked to the side. She looked everywhere as if in search for some kind of answer.

Coming up with none, she looked down and said, "…I-I don't know…" There was a hint of shame in her voice.

Yachi's eyes softened. Her hunch was right. There was definitely more to Tsukiko's feelings for Tanaka, but the girl was too inexperienced and too innocent to realize this. She softly said, "Well, it's good that he gave you some time to answer, right?" The shy girl nodded slowly.

Brightening up, Yachi reassured her. "It's okay! You have time to figure out your feelings, and I'll help you!" Deflating a little in realization, she revealed, "Although I say that, I don't actually have much experience in this kind of stuff other than what I've read in shoujo manga and all…" She awkwardly laughed and gave a sheepish smile.

Even so, Tsukiko was glad that she had made a friend like Yachi. She was mulling over this the entire day, and revealing what happened relieved a bunch of stress. "T-Thank you, Yachi-ch-chan!" She stuttered a bit at the honorific, having always used "-san" up until now.

The blonde girl caught onto this and blushed a little, but followed suit. "Y-You can count on me, Kita-chan!" They smiled at each other, feeling even closer to one another than before.

Perhaps, things would be alright for now. Even so, Tsukiko hoped that Tanaka wasn't upset over her lack of response.

In fact, if anything, the boy was still immensely happy that he was even given the opportunity at a date with her.

For today's lunch period, the second-years decided to eat in Nishinoya's classroom. Upon arrival, Tanaka decided to show his gratitude to the libero through comical tears. The wing spiker clasped the other's hand in a type of manly handshake. "Noya-san!"

"Ryu!"

"Noya-san!"

"Ryu!"

"NOYA-SAN!"

"RYUUU!"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Ennoshita scolded. Kinoshita and Narita chuckled slightly and gave awkward smiles. Narita asked, "I'm guessing the date went well then?" Tanaka nodded. He told them how cute Tsukiko was and what they did. Of course, he didn't mention the fact that he cried at the romance movie they watched.

"That's nice! I'm glad you guys enjoyed yourselves!" Kinoshita congratulated. To be perfectly honest, the second-year trio were a little surprised at how well the date went. After all, Tanaka wasn't the most popular with the ladies.

Ennoshita was never entirely interested in the topic, but he would admit he was somewhat happy at his friend's success. He asked, "So? When's the next one?" Tanaka blinked. "…Next one…?"

Ennoshita gave him a reproachful look. "Don't tell me you didn't ask her on another date." Tanaka looked away from his gaze. "W-Well…we're not really dating or anything…" A slight pang of disappointment.

Narita nodded in agreement, "Hmm. Yeah, that's true. Nishinoya was the one to set this up too. You didn't ask her out, after all." Tanaka rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and spoke, "W-Well…I did ask her out…"

.

.

.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Nice job, Ryu!" Nishinoya was the only one who gave a different response, and thrust out a thumbs-up.

Ennoshita furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't sound too proud of it. What, did she reject you or something?" Tanaka contemplated his answer. "…Not really…I kind of just told her she had until the Inter-High. I asked her to go out with me if we beat Datekou and Seijoh…"

Nobody said anything except Nishinoya. "So manly! Good job, Ryu!" Ennoshita was getting annoyed and confronted the libero. "Will you stop that!" The other two second-years just looked at Tanaka in amazement. "Wow…That's…pretty bold of you." Kinoshita breathed out. Narita noticed Tanaka's less than excited announcement of this and tried to cheer him up. "A-At least she didn't say no!"

Tanaka nodded, but he knew Ennoshita was right. He wasn't too proud of his actions. He had intended to receive an answer from the first-year right then and there. When she was completely silent, however, it gave him too much time to think about how devastated he would be if she rejected him.

Fearing that kind of response and not being mentally prepared for it, he quickly added on that she didn't have to answer him then. He reasoned with himself, saying it was for her comfort but deep down, he knew it was really him who needed the extra time. In a last-ditch effort for a more positive response, he used the matches against the two powerhouse schools as a type of bargaining tool.

In his view, any way you look at it, he was being cowardly. It may have seemed like a manly declaration on the outside, but he knew that his motives were anything but.

The others noticed his dampened mood. They all tried to think of something to say to him, but they didn't need to worry. Nishinoya had them covered.

"What's the matter? All we have to do is make sure we win against Datekou and Seijoh!" His words snapped the wing spiker out of his thoughts. It was very like him to just say whatever was on his mind, with complete disregard to how it would be taken. Thankfully, in this case, it actually helped Tanaka.

Ennoshita chided him, "Is volleyball all you think about? Even if we do somehow win against them, that's not going to mean she'll say yes. She didn't even agree to this in the first place!"

Nishinoya innocently retorted, "But she didn't disagree to this either, right?" Nobody had an answer to him.

The silence was broken by Tanaka's chuckle. "Man, Noya-san. You really are cool!"

He was right. Tsukiko hadn't said anything, and that silence hurt. However, there was a twinge of hope to be had from her silence. She still hadn't said anything about that unofficial agreement either.

He and his team would win the Inter-High tournament, and hopefully, by this time he'd be able to win Tsukiko's affections.


	23. Chapter 23

_*Thunk!*_

Tsukiko jumped and squeaked a little at the sudden slam of books onto her desk. "Y-Yachi-ch-chan…W-What is a-all this?" She timidly asked, having to poke her head over the side of the tower of books in order to see her friend.

In order to have an easier time talking with each other, Yachi took half of the stack and placed it next to the other. Now they could at least look at each other over the tower of books. "Study material! For your feelings for Tanaka-senpai!" She exclaimed with a fire in her eyes.

"Y-Yachi-chan!" Tsukiko called to try and quiet the other girl, not wanting to bear the embarrassment of others hearing and possibly passing on this information to the boy himself.

"I said I would help you figure out your 'maybe' feelings with Tanaka-senpai but like I said, I don't actually have much experience…" The blonde laughed sheepishly. "So, I brought some of my shoujo manga from home, and you can read up on them to see if they match what you're experiencing!"

Tsukiko nodded, thanking the girl and cautiously picking up one of the comics sitting at the top. The shy girl flipped through the pages of different books, skimming bits of the material. Not the type to have found interest in such things before, she quickly flipped through many of them. She grew slightly disheartened, not wanting to disappoint Yachi by not finding any usefulness in the books.

After reaching the third one, however, she took more time flipping through it. She found the art style to be quite cute, but not over the top.

Yachi noticed the girl's interest and began explaining, "That one's about this girl who starts high school and wants to try really hard at becoming attractive, so she finds a guy to coach her. I think it's really cute! If you want to go with that, I have the first three volumes here. Feel free to borrow them!"

"O-Okay, I'll g-go with th-this, th-then. Thank y-you." She picked up the volumes and stuffed them into her bag.

When she returned home, Tsukiko immediately set out to begin reading them. She switched on her desk light and pulled out the first volume of the manga. She grabbed a notebook and a pencil as well, intent on taking notes on parts she thought would be helpful to her. She flipped to the first page, and began reading.

Throughout the whole process, Tsukiko felt a multitude of emotions. Laughing, crying, smiling. She easily breezed through the volumes, sympathizing with the main heroine the entire way.

Closing the last volume available, Tsukiko let out a breath in awe. Yachi was almost completely accurate with this "study material." Just like the heroine, Tsukiko didn't really know what it meant to be attractive. In her case, her "coach" was her mother. Anytime they went out or she had to go to an event, her mother would help with clothing and accessories. Of course, it wasn't like Tsukiko would go out looking like a slob, but she just didn't really know what would be considered attractive to guys.

Just like the heroine, Tsukiko was completely inexperienced with love. She had considered the possibility of liking Tanaka since others around her had brought it up, but she could never be too sure because she had never fallen in love before. She figured that her feelings were closer to those of admiration than of love. He was just so outspoken – something she wished she had the confidence to be.

Speaking of which, that was the biggest difference between her and the heroine in the manga. No matter what it was, be it club or becoming attractive, the main character always gave it her all. She had such a positive outlook on everything and faced everything head on. She was straightforward with her problems, her feelings, everything.

Tsukiko flipped to a page where the heroine was feeling down about having her first love end. It was so soon too! She flipped to the next few pages.

Of course, the character was upset, anybody would be. However, she quickly got over it, resolving herself to work hard for the future. She stated that she couldn't be depressed forever and she had to put in her best effort.

Tsukiko began imagining herself in the protagonist's shoes and sighed. If she were in that position, she would have surely cried her eyes out and have been upset for days. If only she could be like the protagonist.

She thought about it further, closing her eyes to help her visualize it. She imagined herself liking Tanaka in the same way that the heroine felt about her first love. She then thought about what would happen if Tanaka ended up with another girl.

He and the girl would walk to school together. They would have lunch together. She would watch his practices and games, cheering him on.

Tanaka would smile like he usually would. Except, this time, it wouldn't be at Tsukiko.

Suddenly feeling some pain, the girl gasped and snapped her eyes open. She placed her hand over her heart, feeling its erratic beating.

Her face showed complete confusion. Just what exactly was that pain she felt? There couldn't possibly be something wrong with her physically. She was still in denial about her possible feelings for the second-year, thinking that her inexperience was making her confuse admiration for actual affection.

"Tsukiko, sweetie. Are you having boy troubles?" Her mother called out softly. Despite the gentle tone in her voice, Tsukiko still hadn't heard her come in and almost fell out of her chair.

"I came up to tell you it's time for dinner and that we'll be eating first since your father has to work late…" She picked up one of the volumes of the manga.

"But for now, that can wait." She continued, flipping through it while looking at the notes that her daughter took. "Wow! You're really doing your research, huh?" Tsukiko blushed in slight embarrassment.

"M-Mama…H-How do I know if I…l-l-like someone…" It took all of her effort just to say the word. Her mother continued looking through the manga in interest. She hummed in thought.

"Hmm…There are a whole lot of different 'likes,' but I guess the one that best fit how I felt at your age would be something like this: You're always conscious of them, whether that be good or bad. Maybe you don't want to look bad in front of them, or maybe you just always think about them. When you're with them, it's just like you're with your best friend but also not, at the same time. Sometimes, you think about how comfortable it is to be with them, not wanting to forget that feeling. Before you know it, you're already in love with them!"

Tsukiko just stared at her mother in wonder. "I-Is that how you f-first felt about Papa…?" She asked.

"Oh, god, no! I thought your father was a complete idiot." Tsukiko blinked a couple of times in shock. She continued, "Well…I guess that's not quite right…"

She looked up, as if in thought. "Your father was and still is a complete idiot." She laughed, having no trace of malice in her words.

"He confessed to me at first sight, right at the entrance ceremony like a complete buffoon. Obviously, not having any idea who he was, I rejected him." Tsukiko shuddered a little, feeling a bit of pity for her father at being rejected in front of so many people.

"But your father never gave up. He pestered me every day from then on, insisting that we could become friends first. Not really seeing any harm, I relented and just let him do what he wanted. He was one of the first friends I made in high school."

Her mother closed her eyes, reminiscing. "He was such a clown, always doing something dumb but I always laughed. Every once in a while, he would ask me out again, but I'd reject him because now I didn't want anything awkward to happen between us and our friendship. I ended up being so concerned about preserving our current friendship, fearing I'd lose him, that I hadn't even realized that I fell in love with him a long time ago!"

The older woman opened her eyes, glancing at Tsukiko's notes. Both pages of the open notebook were entirely filled. Erasures, highlighted marks, circles, and scribbles were all over the place.

Tsukiko was brought out of her deep thought when her mother rubbed the top of her head. The shy girl looked up and was met with a gentle smile. "It's okay to be confused, Tsukiko. Everyone gets like that…" She turned to the notebook again.

"But if you think that there might be something going on, why not give it a chance? It doesn't have to go anywhere far, but if your feelings and his feelings are pure, then it wouldn't hurt to try. Just go at a pace that's comfortable for you!" She ended with a bright and wide smile.

Pausing for a few more moments, she thought about how the heroine of the manga tried her best even without knowing what would come of it. Tsukiko nodded her head. "Well, alright then! Let's go eat before the food gets cold!" Her mother walked out the door first.

Tsukiko quickly followed, leaving her phone in the room before she could change her mind.

 _To: Tanaka Ryunosuke_

 _Subject: Tomorrow_

 _Text: Is it alright if I come to see your practice tomorrow?_ (ó﹏ò｡) _I promise I'll be quite and I won't be a bother!_ (* ´艸)゛ _Have a nice night!_


	24. Chapter 24

_*BAM!*_

"OOOOHHH YEAAAAHHHH! HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW, TSUKISHIMA?!" The second-year wing spiker taunted the tallest member of the team after having spiked past his block.

"Uooohh! Yeah, Tsukishima, how do you like him now?!" Hinata chimed in. The blond boy just scowled, clicking his tongue in annoyance and already started heading back to prepare for the next serve.

"Nice, Tanaka! You're on fire today! Did something good happen?" Sugawara asked, patting the boys back.

The second-year trio snickered. "I bet I can guess what happened! Hey, Narita, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kinoshita teased. The boy in question chuckled, "Yeah, definitely!"

Ennoshita decided to join in on the fun, "Probably something to do with a _certain_ _first-year_ I bet…" The three lined up, formed hearts with their hands, and made kissy faces coupled with smooching noises.

Not being used to such blatant teasing about his girl troubles, Tanaka blushed furiously. "Kn-Knock it off, you guys!" He shouted, trying to chase after them.

Sugawara held a surprised look, "Eh!? Tanaka, you're dating Kita-san now?" Flinching, Tanaka replied, "N-No! Not exactly…"

At his lackluster response, Asahi grew worried. "Oh no! Did the date not go well?" Nishinoya shouted, "The date went great because of me!" He pointed his thumb at himself, holding his chest out with pride.

Daichi sighed with relief. "Well, that's good to hear! But if the date went well, why aren't you guys dating? Did you not ask her out?" Ennoshita choked back a laugh. "Oh, he asked her out…"

Some members held looks of confusion, some held looks of shock, and some held looks of awe. Nishinoya blinked in realization. "Oh yeah! Guys! We've got to win against Datekou and Seijoh so Ryu can get a girlfriend!"

"Why would that get him a girlfriend?" The captain questioned. Tanaka fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck. "…I sort of made a deal that if we won against them, then she'd go out with me…" He sheepishly answered.

The third-year members stared at him with their mouths agape. Hinata's eyes sparkled and dashed up to the second-year. "Amazing, Tanaka-senpai! We'll definitely win against them and go to nationals!"

"Wha—n-now just hang on a minute! Why would you go and say something like that?! Couldn't you have just asked her out normally? What if we don't actually win against them?!" Sugawara exclaimed, showing deep concern like the mother hen that he is. The other third-years nodded in agreement, thinking that Tanaka may have been too rash in his declaration.

"What are you saying, Suga-san!? You don't think we can beat them?" Nishinoya frowned. The first-years, namely Hinata and Yamaguchi, looked at their seniors with worry. If their upperclassmen didn't think they could go to nationals, that really meant something.

"N-No, that's not what I meant! I was just worried about Tanaka! Uh, right guys?" The setter looked to his fellow third-years, not able to properly articulate himself and seeking help. Sugawara didn't actually believe they would lose. It was just that he believed there were better ways for Tanaka to approach girls.

Trying to help, Daichi spoke, "Yeah, we didn't mean it that way. We just figured that maybe there could've been a…more secure way of asking her out…?" He hesitated, wondering if this was the best explanation.

The libero, however, didn't ease up and continued to press on. "So, you do think we can win, right?" Daichi nodded passionately. "Of course, I do! Nobody goes into a competition intending to lose!"

Nishinoya's mood lightened up significantly. "Then there's no problem! We're getting you a girlfriend _and_ going to nationals, Ryu!" He beamed.

Asahi sighed, "I don't think they understand what we're trying to say…" The other two shook their heads, sighing along with him. Deciding to just let it be, Daichi asked, "She agreed to this?"

"…" Nishinoya and Tanaka held blank expressions. The captain narrowed his eyes at them, "She _did_ agree to this, _didn't she_?" Unable to continue matching his gaze, they both turned their heads to the side.

Tanaka had a nervous sweat. "...W-Well, I-I mean…She didn't… _disagree_ with it…" He was beginning to lose the little confidence he had in this fact. Somehow, this sounded much better when Nishinoya said it to him.

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Did you really th—" He was cut off by the grating of the metal doors. Everybody turned towards the entrance, finding a shy girl sliding the door open but only poking her head out.

"E-Excuse m-me…" She quietly pardoned herself. Nishinoya's eyes gleamed and he ran straight towards her. "TSUKIKO-CHAAAAAN!"

The poor girl squeaked loudly and blushed furiously. She was completely unprepared to be charged at when she entered and she was easily flustered by his use of her first name.

Tanaka was so enthralled by her appearance that he didn't even have the processing power to be jealous that Nishinoya could use her first name so simply. Although he had communicated with her over text, he hadn't actually seen the girl since his confession.

Sugawara just barely caught the hyperactive libero by the scruff of his neck "Hey, you! Stop that! You're scaring her!" He turned to the shaking first-year and bowed, using his hand to forcefully push Nishinoya down as well. "Sorry about him! He can be a bit energetic…"

Daichi walked up to the girl, taking over. "It's good to see you again, Kita-san! Is there something that the Student Council needs?" He asked, assuming she was here on business again.

Snapping out of her shock, Tsukiko quickly shook her head. "N-No! P-Please pardon m-my intrusion! I-I just w-wanted to s-see your p-practice. T-Tanaka-senpai said it w-was o-okay…" She bowed a couple of times for good measure.

Many of the members turned their gazes towards Tanaka, some giving him suggestive looks. The second-year flinched, looking at the ground in embarrassment with a blush clearly on his face.

"I see. That's no problem! Feel free to sit on the bench to watch!" Daichi gestured to the side, giving her a gentle smile. "Th-Thank you!" She bowed once more.

"Hmm, so _that's_ why you were on top of your game today…" Sugawara whispered, not missing the chance to tease his underclassman. Tanaka remained silent, his blush deepening even more.

The boys continued with their practice, although, not without some minor problems. Tanaka's bravado from earlier seemed to have dimmed, turning him into a slightly clumsy mess. Before, he was extremely excited at the prospect of having his crush come to see his practice. Now that she was here, however, he grew nervous. He was constantly in fear of looking like a fool in front of her. This fear only caused him to panic, causing him to make more mistakes even if they were small ones.

His attitude was a stark contrast to how he was when she visited practices before. In the past, when she was around, the wing spiker tended to perform better. Having a cute girl around to cheer him on along with the beloved manager Kiyoko-san bolstered his confidence. With the intent to impress, his plays were a bit more reckless but also a bit flashier as a result.

However, after having realized how deep his feelings for Tsukiko were, he grew skittish in her presence. Obviously, having the girl he likes watching him play his favorite sport made him happy, but it also proved to make him nervous.

His movements and his plays were normally fluid, honed by his constant practice. It became second nature to him, no longer needing to think very much about it. Now that she was here though, he was much too conscious of his movements. Trying to make sure he did everything right and perfectly, he caused himself to do just the opposite. He flustered about like a fish out of water, earning him a few scoldings from the coach and the captain.

While practice was momentarily being halted because of Tanaka being lectured, Nishinoya took his chance to talk to the first-year girl. Tsukiko held a look of concern, keeping her eyes on Tanaka and wondering if he wasn't feeling well.

"Tsukiko-chan~~!" The libero called and waved to the girl, making her jump. Being too focused on Tanaka, she hadn't seen him come up to her. Kiyoko set down her notebook and pencil, not having anything to write since practice was stopped. She was also preparing to protect Tsukiko if the boy happened to pounce on her.

"H-Hello…" She greeted back. He grinned widely at her. "The Inter-High is starting soon! You're coming to see our matches, right?" He eagerly asked, hoping to let her see just how cool his friend was.

Tsukiko's eyes widened in surprise. She blushed, thinking about what Tanaka asked of her. Looking down to hide her redness, she quickly answered, "I-I have to ch-check my s-schedule…"

Before she could continue, the second-year trio walked up to the pair. "If you can, you should definitely come!" Narita requested. Kinoshita added, "Yeah! We'd really appreciate it." He smirked. "I know Tanaka would!" Tsukiko's efforts at hiding her blush were futile, as that last comment caused her entire face to light up with red.

Ennoshita furrowed his brows and muttered, "Maybe it would be better not to…" The other second-years gave him a questioning look. "I think that would be too much for the idiot." He looked at Tanaka still being chided by the coach. "Earlier in the club room while we were changing, he was going on about dumb stuff like receiving good luck charms from a girl or something like that. I told him if he kept having those useless thoughts, I'd take his starting position away from him."

Kinoshita and Narita chuckled. "Sounds like him, alright!" Nishinoya jumped up and shouted, "What do you mean useless?! Can you just imagine!? Getting a charm from a cute girl just before your match…Any guy would be lucky to get that! I know I'd have the power of at least a thousand men!"

The two shared a friendly argument with the other second-years occasionally piping in. Although, Tsukiko hadn't really been paying attention to the rest of the one-sided debate.

Her thoughts were stuck on what Ennoshita and Nishinoya said about charms, slowly forming a small idea of her own.


	25. Chapter 25

_*RING!*_

The first round of classes had ended and students bustled about, preparing for lunch. At hearing her name being called, Yachi turned around in her seat to face her friend.

Tsukiko took out some volumes of a manga that the blonde had lent her. It was the very same one that helped resolve her possible feelings and actions toward Tanaka. Tsukiko had borrowed the rest of them, completely engrossed in the story. "T-Thank you v-very much! I-It was an e-enjoyable r-read." She slightly bowed her head in thanks.

Taking the books from the desk and replacing the spot with her bento box, Yachi replied, "Wow! You finished them so fast! I hope they helped you!" She proceeded to take out a juice box, ripping the attached straw from the packaging.

Tsukiko nodded eagerly. "Y-Yes, th-they did! V-very much!" She then calmed down a bit. She shifted her eyes a bit, looking embarrassed. "I-I really a-admire the main ch-character. H-Her and my mother h-helped me to b-better understand my f-feelings…I-I think I w-will t-t-try…"

As she was talking, Yachi was about to poke the straw through the aluminum foil hole in the juice box. Tsukiko's revelation, however, caught her by surprise. The shock caused her to squeeze the juice box too hard and poke the straw through with too much force. Juice spilled all over her, but that was currently the least of the blonde's worries. "T-Try?! Try what?! Try dating him!? Oh my gosh!" She shrieked.

"Y-Yachi-chan! Y-Your cl-clothes! Th-They'll stain!" Tsukiko quickly pulled out her handkerchief trying to dab at the juice spots on Yachi's uniform. "You're really going to date him?" Yachi continued, more concerned about this topic than her current state.

"I n-never said th-that! I-I just thought…m-maybe I could t-take things s-slowly. I s-still have until n-next week." Seemingly satisfied with that response, Yachi finally began cleaning herself up. "That's true. The Inter-High starts next weekend." The blonde hummed in thought. "Then, does that mean you'll tell him you want to try dating him after his matches?"

Tsukiko jumped. "I-I-I'm not s-sure about th-that! I-I meant th-that I could just t-try to be cl-closer to him f-first!" Yachi furrowed her brows. "But you just said you only have about a week left!"

The shy girl shrunk in her seat a little. "I-I know! I r-really want to t-try something, b-but d-d-dating is such a b-big step!" Her friend was about to give her retort, but the sound of the classroom door making a loud slam stopped her before she could start.

"TSUKIKO-CHAAAAAN!" The loud voice was followed by the boys' volleyball team's one and only libero. The said girl squeaked, jumping at the sudden noise and also the overly familiar use of her name.

She blushed even harder when she realized that Nishinoya was dragging along Tanaka into the room. Noticing her bright red face, the shorter boy exclaimed, "Ah! There you are!"

He walked – almost marching – over, still dragging Tanaka with him. He stopped in front of her desk and was about to say something, but noticed her opened bento box. "Uoooh! That's such a pretty lunch! Did you make it yourself?"

Trying to keep her blush to a minimum, she refused to meet either boys' eyes. She nodded, "I m-make them w-with my mother s-sometimes…" Both Nishinoya and Tanaka marveled at the work of art. The rice was shaped into a panda's head, using seaweed for the eyes, nose, and mouth. It was quite cute.

 _Just like her_.

Tanaka wondered if he would enjoy her homemade lunches if they ever started dating. Apparently, Nishinoya had a similar thought. "You should make one for Ryu sometimes! He forgets his lunch a lot and has to buy from the cafeteria!" He joked.

Tanaka and Tsukiko both had their cheeks aflame. "N-Nishinoya! Y-You forget your lunch a lot too!" The wing spiker tried deflecting the attention, but the libero only laughed good-heartedly. "Haha! Well, that's not what you wanted to ask, right Ryu?"

At this, both girls had slightly confused looks. It was already a surprise that they were even here. Just what could Tanaka want? Unable to handle his crush's gaze with her face blushing so cutely like that, Tanaka turned his head to the side and stuttered through his question.

"D-Do you wanna come see m-my practice today…?" He mentally cursed himself for his stuttering and hesitation. How unmanly! In front of her of all people!

Tsukiko looked down, almost as if in shame. Her hair provided a curtain for much of her face and she began nervously fidgeting with her hands. Yachi and Nishinoya looked on in concern mixed with confusion.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I have s-something to do a-and I can't g-go…" She bowed her head further in apology. Tanaka was finally able to look at her, but it was in shock. She had come to plenty of practices before, and of her own volition to boot! However, the _one_ time Tanaka asks her to come to practice just because he wants her to, she refuses! Even the others were astonished.

His expression didn't only reveal shock. It was mixed with pain, disappointment, and almost defeat. He thought that not getting a response from her when he confessed was bad, but this was maybe equally as bad.

She didn't even want to see his practice? Not even for a little? It was such a simple request, and he was getting pretty much rejected here as well. A simple 'no' would have sufficed but she was so blatantly refusing him, that it certainly didn't help his confidence.

She refused to look back up at him, becoming more nervous and shaking a little bit more because of the silence. Seeing her beginning to shake more, the wing spiker finally snapped out of it. "Ah! I-It's okay! If you're busy, you don't have to! I was just wondering is all! Well, see you later! Enjoy your lunch!" He loudly and hurriedly assured her, thinking that being his normally loud self would somehow convince the others that he was truly okay.

He dashed out of the room. Nishinoya looked back at Tsukiko once in concern and then chased after his friend. "Ryu!" His shouts could be heard for a couple more seconds before Yachi focused her attention on her friend.

She was ready to ask what just happened when Tsukiko heaved a big sigh of relief. She clutched her chest over her heart, as if she had done some extreme type of workout. Yachi noticed the large beads of sweat on her forehead. "K-Kita-chan?!" She heard the girl's mutterings of something along the lines of "That was close" but this only gave her more confusion.

"Why did you reject him? I thought you really liked going to see him practice!" Tsukiko looked at her friend. "I-I do! I-I just c-can't go t-today." The blonde looked at her skeptically. "Well, okay, but you didn't have to reject him so badly! You could've just told him what you're busy with and he would've understood! What do you have to do, anyways?"

Tsukiko looked down again, but not in shame. Her blush returned in full force. "…rms…" Yachi leaned in closer, not able to fully hear what she said. "What?" She asked once more. The shy girl fidgeted with her fingers, looking back and forth between her bag and Yachi. "G-Good luck ch-charms…"

"Good luck charms…?" Yachi repeated, unsure. Tsukiko nodded. "I-I'm making the t-team good l-luck charms. I-I wanted it t-to be a s-surprise."

"Is that why you acted so weird back there?" Her friend questioned. The shy girl nodded, "I-I'm not g-good at keeping s-secrets…" She proceeded to pull out a small bag from within her school bag, pouring out some of the contents for her friend to see.

Yachi gasped in excitement. "It's Omamori!" She picked up one of the few finished charms. It was a typical charm. It was mostly in black with the tied string being white. A volleyball design was on the charm with the word 'Success' stitched underneath it in orange.

It was simple, but one could definitely tell that a lot of heart went into it through the stitching. "Kita-chan, this is amazing! You're so good at this!" Tsukiko shook her head frantically in embarrassment.

"I-I'm really n-not! I-It took m-me a while and I s-still have s-so many left t-to do…" Yachi reassured her, "I bet they'll be really happy about this!" She continued inspecting the charm, flipping it over and feeling the fabric.

The blonde then noticed another charm poking out of the bag. It seemed a bit bigger and looked slightly different. She pulled it out to see the rest of it.

The base fabric was black and the tied string was white like the others, but the design was different. The outlines of the word 'Success' was stitched to the top with a smaller volleyball underneath it. Below that was the unfinished silhouette of a man looking like he was about to spike the volleyball. The only thing that was completely finished and could clearly be seen was the number 5 on the silhouette's chest.

 _Tanaka's jersey number_.

She looked up and down, from the unfinished charm to Tsukiko's red face. "…Is this one, by any chance, for Tanaka-senpai…?" The answer was a darkening of Tsukiko's cheeks. Even Yachi had to blush a little at her cuteness. Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, so _this_ is what you meant by trying to get closer with him?" The girl nodded shyly. "This really is amazing, Kita-chan! It looks hard…"

"I-It is. Th-That's why it's t-taking me so l-long. The o-others are o-okay, but th-this one is m-more difficult. I'm s-scared I w-won't finish on t-time." Seeing the worried look on her friend's face, Yachi resolved herself.

"It's okay! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!" The blonde's look turned a bit sheepish. "…I don't think I can sew designs as well as you can, but I can help with smaller things like sewing the base fabric together and stuff!" The shy girl looked at her friend gratefully. "T-Thank you, Y-Yachi-chan!"

Tsukiko picked up the charm meant for Tanaka. She used her thumb to rub over the spot where the number 5 was and smiled gently to herself.


	26. Chapter 26

_*Thunk!*_

"K-Kita-chan?!" As soon as Yachi had walked in, she was met with the sight of her friend's forehead smacking into the desk. "A-Are you okay?!"

At her voice, Tsukiko slowly lifted her head up. Her eyes were half-lidded, proof of her fatigue. She was fighting to barely stay awake, the pain not even registering. "…G-Good morning…Y-Yachi-chan…" She greeted.

If not for the concern overpowering her mind, Yachi would have laughed. Somehow, her shy friend's words were sluggish from her tiredness, yet she still had her signature stutter. "Did you not sleep well?" The blonde questioned.

Tsukiko shook her head. "I-I didn't sleep a-at all…" To add on, she pulled out a small box. Yachi took it from her hands. She opened it to reveal the completely finished charms for the volleyball team. "You finished them!" She exclaimed. Tsukiko tiredly nodded her head, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Her friend really giggled this time, now that she knew the girl was just tired and not hurt. She carefully closed the box and slid it back to her. "And what about Tanaka-senpai's…?" She asked tentatively.

At the question, Tsukiko tensed up, no longer looking tired. Unable to meet Yachi's curious eyes due to embarrassment, the girl simply reached into her blazer's pocket and pulled out the charm.

The word 'Success' was at the top just like the rest of them. The net was stitched across the width of the charm with the volleyball just above it and the spiker right behind it. The silhouette of the spiker was finally finished, the number 5 clear on his chest.

Yachi was about to commend Tsukiko for her hard work when she felt something along the back of the charm. It was something along the bottom of the fabric. She gently flipped it over, revealing a small and almost hidden message sewn on.

 _I'm rooting for you!_

The blonde's eyes widened. Had she not felt the slight bulge from the stitching, she surely would've missed the message. She raised her head to see that Tsukiko was still avoiding eye contact, her cheeks ablaze.

"…I-Is it…t-too much?" She asked, her voice laced with concern. Tsukiko dared to peek up at Yachi, trying to gauge her response.

Yachi shook her head fiercely. "Not at all! It's perfect, Kita-chan! He'll love it!" The girl sighed in relief. Her blush was lighter, but still evident. Although, that wouldn't last for long because the blonde didn't pass up an opportunity to tease her.

"So, if you're rooting for him…does that mean you _ **do**_ want to go out with him?" Tsukiko tensed even more, her face growing hotter by the second. "Y-Y-Yachi-chan!" Her friend covered her mouth, trying to suppress the laughter.

Sparing Tsukiko any more embarrassment, she changed the subject. "Are you giving it to him today during lunch?" The shy girl nodded shakily. To give her more support, Yachi chanted, "Good luck! Kita-chan, fight!" She turned around in her seat just as the bell rang and the teacher walked in.

Tsukiko gently tucked the charm back into her pocket, her hand lingering in there for a few moments.

She placed a hand over her heart, hoping to calm its erratic beating. Somehow, she wanted lunch to never come while also wanting it to come sooner.

* * *

 _*Thunk!*_

"…T-Tanaka?" Kinoshita called out to his friend with concern. The second-years had once again decided to eat lunch in Tanaka's classroom. Having just arrived, they saw the aforementioned wing spiker drop his head down to his desk.

His forehead made direct contact with the hard wood, making a sound that surely indicated how painful that action must have been. His right arm dangled at his side, lifelessly. His only response to his friends' concern was a long and drawn out sigh.

Kinoshita and Narita shared a look, their eyebrows furrowed. They were worried, but they also didn't know exactly what to do since Tanaka was usually the one cheering everybody up.

Ennoshita then noticed some light coming from underneath the desk. Tanaka was holding his phone with his left hand below the desk. He was just staring at the open screen, his forehead still flat on his desk.

"It's been almost a week. If you're _that_ concerned about her, why don't you just call her or something?" Ennoshita questioned. Tanaka immediately lifted his head up with wide eyes.

"I can't do that! What if she's busy?!" Clearly, he was still a bit scarred from her past rejection.

Ennoshita furrowed his brows in irritation. "We're in school and it's lunch time. What could she possibly be doing that she can't even answer a phone call?" Tanaka flinched a bit at his friend's harshness.

"He's right, Ryu! It's pretty manly to make the first move! Go for it!" Nishinoya jumped in. Of course, something like that was easier said than done for Tanaka.

After the incident of her refusing to come see his practice, he didn't have the courage to see her. He would occasionally see her in the hallways or he would see her in the Student Council room on his way to practice, but he never reached out to her.

He was even fearful of doing so electronically, wondering if she would just ignore him. He sighed once more, staring at his phone again.

"I-I don't think you have to worry anymore!" Tanaka lifted his head to look at Narita curiously. The boy was eagerly pointing at something behind him.

Tanaka turned around, his eyes meeting Tsukiko's. He was completely still, mouth agape. He couldn't even blink, afraid that she was just part of his imagination and that she would disappear if he did.

"Aren't you going to greet her?" Ennoshita brought him out of his trance. Almost ignoring his friends, the wing spiker immediately got up to rush over to the girl.

"Wh-What are you doing here?!" He questioned as soon as he reached her. "Ah! N-Not that I don't want you here! I-I'm just wondering!" He blubbered out, blushing a little.

Tsukiko had a blush of her own, fidgeting in place. "I-I w-wanted to t-talk to y-you…" She forced out, looking around to see that there were a bunch of people in his classroom. There were a group of boys she recognized from the volleyball team staring at them, in particular.

Under their constant gazes, she grew uncomfortable and started fidgeting in place even more. Noticing this, Tanaka directed her into the hallway. "L-Let's go out in the hall! There shouldn't be that many people."

Tsukiko followed him out, greatly appreciating his kindness. There were still people walking about during lunch, but there were much less people in the hall than in the classroom.

"Um…so what did you want to talk about?" He was slightly nervous, hoping that it wasn't something bad. "I-I'm sorry I h-haven't been in c-contact lately." Tsukiko bowed and Tanaka waved his hands around.

"No, no! It's okay! I know you can get busy sometimes!" He hurriedly tried reassuring her. She nodded. "I-I have s-something for y-you…" She reached into her pocket, pulling out the charm and holding it in both hands.

Before she could lose her resolve, Tsukiko thrust it out towards Tanaka. "P-Please accept this!" Her arms remained straight in the air, her hands holding the handmade charm. She was bowing slightly, her head tilted downwards so that she didn't have to meet his eyes.

Tanaka shakily lifted his hands, taking the charm. Even after taking it, Tsukiko still refused to look him in the eyes.

He held the charm with the utmost care, feeling as though it would break if he held it any tighter. He studied it carefully, starting at the tied string at the top and going down from there.

His eyes passed the word 'Success' and then the volleyball. His eyes then traced down the arm of the figure, stopping immediately on the figure's jersey. He stared at the number. Number 5.

 _His jersey number._

Tanaka felt a stinging in his eyes, the tears welling up in them. He didn't let them fall, wanting to thank Tsukiko first. "K-Kita-san! Thank you! This is amazing! Thank you so much! Really, thank you!"

Tsukiko blushed harder, growing more embarrassed from his constant expression of gratitude. "I-I'm g-glad you l-like it." "I love it!" He answered without hesitation, prompting an even bigger blush from the girl.

"The Inter-High starts this weekend…Are you coming to see?" Tanaka asked hesitantly, gaining a boost of confidence from the charm but still wary.

Tsukiko looked down and held her hands together for a sense of security. She gave the slightest nod of her head. If the boy hadn't been so enamored by her, he would've missed it. Good thing he could only see her – only look at her, even with all the people passing by in the hallway.

He gave her the largest and brightest smile yet. "We'll definitely win, so come cheer for us!" Still unable to speak because of her shaky voice, Tsukiko nodded firmly and began her walk back to her own classroom.

Tanaka was left standing in the middle of the hall, following her every movement, every swish of her hair until she turned the corner and was no longer in sight.

As soon as she did, he raised his head and shouted at the top of his lungs. It was a shout of triumph, like the ones in which he won a volleyball match, yet still more powerful than that.

"Who's shouting in the hallways?!" The Vice Principal ran out, fully ready to punish the person disturbing the school's peace.

Just around the corner, Tsukiko clutched her chest over her beating heart.

With rosy cheeks, she gently smiled.


	27. Chapter 27

_*Sniff!*_

"You're not seriously still crying about it, are you?" Ennoshita looked at his fellow second-year in slight disgust. Tanaka met his gaze, unwavering.

"You'll understand someday, Ennoshita! When you find a cute girl to give you a good luck charm, you'll realize just how good this feels!" He shouted indignantly, tears of joy comically streaming down his eyes.

It was the day before the Inter-High began. Both Tanaka and Ennoshita were in the club room changing out of their school uniforms when Ennoshita heard the other's sniffling.

First, he was confused as to why his friend was crying about **not** seeing the shy first-year girl. Now, he was confused as to why his friend was crying **about** seeing the shy first-year girl. Honestly, he was happy that the wing spiker and his crush had reconciled.

"Haha! Are you upset that you don't have a girl to cheer you on, maybe?" Tanaka teased, smirking.

However, seeing his friend's somewhat superior air about the whole thing, Ennoshita decided that he was no longer happy and was, instead, incredibly annoyed. He wondered just how and why the two of them kept getting stuck alone together in the club room so often. He was being a good boy, not skipping any practices and trying his best during them. What did he do to be forced with this dimwit?

Ennoshita sighed in annoyance, zipping up his bag and heading for the door. "I'm serious. Keep talking like that and I really will steal your position as a regular while you're busy being a love-drunk idiot."

"Wha—Hey, wait up! Come on, Ennoshita! There's no need to be jealous! I'm sure you'll find somebody someday!" Tanaka's smirk disappeared and he hurriedly slipped on his shirt, running after the other wing spiker, only to be jabbed in the side. "GAH!" He bent over, holding his side in pain.

Ennoshita's eye twitched. Not even sparing him a glance, he said, "I don't need pity from the likes of you." The two continued to walk towards the gymnasium, the sound of volleyballs growing louder. They could also hear some shouts of excitement, particularly Hinata's and Nishinoya's.

Wondering what was happening, Tanaka and Ennoshita rushed over to the doors. Tanaka pushed them open, revealing the rest of the team. Many of them were holding something in their hands and studying it. Hinata and Nishinoya were still shouting and jumping around for joy.

Finally noticing his entrance, Nishinoya bounded over to Tanaka. "Ryu! Your girlfriend really is amazing!" He shouted with sparkles in his eyes.

"Eh?!" Although incredibly flattered even though she wasn't his girlfriend yet, his confusion took over first. Daichi then walked over to them. "Tanaka! Ennoshita! You're finally here!" He was holding a rather small box. He took out one of Tsukiko's handmade Omamori and handed it to Ennoshita. Tanaka's eyes widened upon seeing the familiar black fabric.

"Kita-san from the Student Council just came by to hand us these and wished us luck for the Inter-High. They look handmade so make sure to thank her later!" He then reached inside the box again to hand a charm to Tanaka, but he was stopped.

Tanaka frantically waved his arm back and forth, shaking his head and smiling. "It's okay! I already got one from her." Daichi paused for a moment, studying the wing spiker's expression.

The boy's smile seemed forced and almost painful. The captain was concerned, but he decided not to push it since it appeared as though Tanaka didn't want to mention it in the first place. Trying to deflect the topic, Daichi looked into the box. "Oh, you're right. There's only two more: one for Coach Ukai and one for Takeda-sensei." He then walked off to pass out the remaining charms, looking back once more in concern.

Ennoshita glanced at Tanaka in slight worry. The boy had noticeably deflated. His once happy aura was now replaced by a gloomy one. He was looking down at his shoes with a grimace. Ennoshita could see that the boy was gritting his teeth since his jaw tightened.

He looked down at the charm that was just handed to him. Ennoshita's eyes widened in realization upon finally seeing the design of the charm. Trying to get the other boy's attention, he spoke hurriedly but not fast enough.

" **UUUOOOOOHHHH!"**

"Hinata, shut up! That's enough! Stop shouting or you'll attract the attention of the Vice Principal again! It's time for practice. Everyone round up for stretches!"

Ennoshita was interrupted by the shouting. Before he could reach out to Tanaka again, the wing spiker had already started jogging further into the gymnasium. The pain in his eyes still there.

One hand was in his pocket, his fingertips just grazing the charm.

Numerous thoughts ran through his head. Everyone on the team had received a good luck charm from Tsukiko. Even the coach, Takeda, and Kiyoko had gotten one. Realizing this only made his heart hurt more.

He started tightly clutching the charm in his pocket.

Everyone had gotten one. It was very like her. Tanaka, of all people, knew how kind Tsukiko was. Of course she would be so considerate as to get them all a charm. Not only that, but she even made it herself!

Tanaka was sure that there couldn't have been a girl nicer than her. She made these without being asked and for people she barely even knew. Who else would have the heart to do that? Nishinoya was completely right. She really is amazing.

Why, then, did he feel so defeated? Why, then, did he feel so dejected?

It was because **everyone** had received a charm.

Thinking about it, he must have seemed so selfish. He had wanted to be the only one that she was cheering for. Tanaka was conflicted with himself. After all, **he** was the one that told her to cheer for **them**.

Although, at the time, he probably hadn't realized he meant only him. Was it really wrong to want her support all to himself though? Was it really wrong to be the only one who got a charm?

He gripped the charm tighter, so conflicted with himself that he wasn't concerned about wrinkling it. He could feel his nails digging into the skin of his palms.

He **wasn't** the only one who got a charm.

This thought kept swimming around his head. Her face flashed through his mind. The face she had when she was presenting him the charm. It was so cute. Pink surrounded her cheeks while she bit the inside of it in anticipation and nervousness.

That one action had given him so much hope. Hope about their relationship. Hope about their future.

Tanaka slightly shook his head, as if to shake himself out of those thoughts. What was he thinking? Did he really think that a guy like him had a shot at a girl like her?

He wasn't as cool as Nishinoya. He wasn't as strong as Asahi. He wasn't as nice as Sugawara. He wasn't as reliable as Daichi.

He reminded himself that he wasn't the only one who got a charm.

 _ **He wasn't special.**_

"…Tanaka? What's the matter? You're on the red team." Sugawara laid a hand on the wing spiker's shoulder, his face laced heavily with worry.

Tanaka looked at his upperclassman in shock, having been totally absorbed in his own thoughts. He quickly released the charm from his death grip.

Contemplating for a few moments, he lifted both hands and smacked each cheek. His hands lingered on his face for a bit. The sudden action and loud noise made Sugawara jump. "T-Tanaka?!" The vice captain questioned.

Tanaka's hands finally lowered and he opened his eyes, his eyes looking sharper than usual. "It's nothing! Thanks for letting me know!" He dashed onto the court, stopping Sugawara from questioning further.

Tanaka clutched the charm in his pocket once more before completely throwing himself into practice.


	28. Chapter 28

_**He wasn't special.**_

No matter what he did, Tanaka couldn't get that thought out of his head.

The only thing he could do was throw himself into practice. He always gave it his all, but today, he gave _even more_. It was completely noticeable too.

His spikes had just a bit more power, his plays were just a bit more reckless, and his eyes were just a bit more ferocious. Normally, there wouldn't be an issue with any of this but there was one glaring difference.

Tanaka was oddly… _ **quiet**_.

He didn't shout, he didn't jeer, he didn't even take his shirt off.

He wasn't exactly at the top of his game, but he was performing just as he normally did, if not better. It was a stark contrast to how he became when he was gloomy about a certain first-year girl.

As a result, the other members of the team were concerned, but couldn't actually say much to him.

Ennoshita, of course, knew _exactly_ why Tanaka was like this. He constantly tried getting the wing spiker's attention, but it always ended in a failure. Seeing as how practices usually are, there was rarely a chance for him to pull the other aside for a talk.

Even when they did have a few water breaks, Tanaka would constantly be on the move. He had to do _something_. If he stopped his body for even a moment, his mind would shift its main focus onto the charms. He did anything to distract himself, and as such, Ennoshita never got the chance to talk to him.

Eventually getting so annoyed with him, Ennoshita pulled Tanaka aside during clean up time. He pushed him into the dark storage room. "Will you get over yourself?" He nearly shouted.

Tanaka's eye twitched at that. "W-What are you talking about?!" The other boy sighed in annoyance. "Look, you've been having some serious mood swings ever since you've met this girl. I don't care what you do with your relationship, but would you stop being a complete pansy about everything that deals with her? You're worrying everybody on the team because it's so not like you."

Tanaka looked down in shame. Was it really so obvious? He thought he hid his emotions much better this time.

Noticing that he had no intention of responding any time soon, Ennoshita grabbed his own charm and nearly shoved it in Tanaka's face. The action was quick, causing the boy's eyes to widen.

Upon actual inspection, however, his eyes opened even further and his mouth was agape. Ennoshita looked at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised.

"Do you get it now? Yours is completely different." Tanaka hesitantly reached for the charm in his pocket. It seemed like he was afraid to check, even though he already knew what it looked like.

He laid the charm flat on his palm and stared at it. He looked up at the charm held by Ennoshita. The wing spiker alternated between the two, as if in disbelief. He wanted to make absolutely sure that his eyes weren't just playing tricks on him.

"Everyone got the same one, even the coach and Takeda-sensei. You're the only one with a special charm." Ennoshita clarified.

 _ **Special.**_

That word had been circling in his head the entire practice, but it had a much more positive effect now.

Ennoshita sighed in annoyance once again. "You're honestly hopeless. How dense can you be? Even if you did get the same charm as everyone else, you'd still be the only person to receive it from her personally."

Tanaka's mouth dropped again at that. Ennoshita was right! Tsukiko gave all the charms to Daichi to pass out, but she went out of her way to give Tanaka his. He gripped the charm tighter, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Unable to hold back any longer, Tanaka started comically crying. "ENNOSHITAAAAA!" He lunged toward the boy for a hug of appreciation but was avoided. "Wipe your face first!" Ennoshita shouted with disgust.

"When did you get so cool, Ennoshita?!" Tanaka asked between sniffles. The boy just shook his head. "I'm really not going to warn you anymore. I'm swiping that regular position right from under you."

Tanaka jumped. "C-Come on, man! I won't give it to you that easily!" The two bantered like so for the rest of the clean up time.

Tanaka was alone on his walk home, the charm firmly in his grasp. His eyes just would not stray from it. He even nearly got run over by a couple of cars when crossing the street because of the distraction.

This charm was the only one different. This charm was the only one she handed out personally.

 _ **This charm was special.**_

Tanaka grinned to himself and giggled like a maniac, so content with himself that he was unable to hold it. One could almost see the pink aura and flowers blooming around him. His cheeks were a matching light pink.

The boy began skipping, just thinking about Tsukiko and how flustered she was when giving him the handmade charm. She was just too cute! How lucky was he! He vowed that once he got home, he would give her a call to thank her again.

For now, he would give her a text. About to place the charm back into his pocket in exchange for his phone, Tanaka felt something odd. It was like something was stuck to the back of the charm.

He felt the fabric, his fingers searching it. He stopped along the bottom when he felt a slight bulge across it. Being nighttime, it was too dark to see exactly what it was. Using his other hand, he pulled out his phone and flipped it open to use as a flashlight.

Illuminating the back of the charm, Tanaka's eyes widened at the hidden message.

 _I'm rooting for you!_

He stopped dead in his tracks, the light from the phone dimming because of the inactivity. Even so, he continued staring at the words, no longer needing the light to see them because of his intense focus.

 _I'm rooting for you!_

The boy read it over and over and over again. He read it in Tsukiko's voice. He imagined her up in the stands during his game, cheering this – cheering him on. He saw her shouting her heart out, a blush on her cheeks.

Tanaka's legs pulled him forward. His walking turned into a light jog that turned into a full sprint. Before he knew it, he was in front of the Kita household.

"TSUKIKO-CHAN!" He shouted, not remembering that it was the middle of the night and that he could possibly be disturbing her neighbors. Due to the adrenaline and his overwhelming feelings, he didn't even remember that this was the first time he used her first name.

Tsukiko opened the window to her room, poking her head out with wide eyes. "T-T-T-Tanaka-s-senpai?! W-W-What's g-going on?!" She looked left and right frantically, hoping that nobody would come out of their homes to shout at the loud boy.

"This!" Tanaka thrust his hand up, the charm in his grasp. "Thank you so much, Tsukiko-chan!" She blushed at the use of her first name again.

"Also! Please come to my games tomorrow and cheer for me!" She had already promised him before that she would be there, but he wanted to make sure that she was coming for him. He deliberately said _me_ and _my_ instead of _the team_.

He hesitated to say the next part. "…P-Please cheer for me, like you wrote on this charm!" His blush matched her own. His eyes fierce and staring straight up at her.

Tsukiko nearly fainted at his words, the heat on her cheeks getting to her. Secretly, she had been hoping that he wouldn't find the secret message, but she was also ecstatic to know that it made him this happy.

She firmly nodded her head. "O-Okay! I-I'll be s-sure to ch-cheer for y-you tomorrow!" She barely got the words out.

Tanaka beamed up at her, his smile so bright. He gave a deep bow. "Thank you! Sorry if I disturbed you! Good night!" He dashed off before she could respond.

When he was finally out of sight, Tsukiko collapsed to her knees. The only thing supporting her from completely falling were her arms propped up on the windowsill. She turned around so that she could sit with her back against the wall.

Tsukiko lifted her hands to encase her cheeks, feeling the heat and the upward tug of her lips.


	29. Chapter 29

_**I'm rooting for you!**_

Tanaka was currently shaking with excitement, staring at the message on the charm. Not only could he not wait for the first match to start, but he also couldn't wait to see Tsukiko in the stands.

He received a slap on the back by Sugawara. "You seem pretty pumped! I wonder if it's for the match or for something else? Or rather… _someone_ else?" The vice captain teased. "S-Suga-san!"

"Oh, so Kita-san _is_ coming then!" Daichi joined in. "Make sure to do your best!" He pat the second-year on the back. "I-I would do that anyways!" Tanaka shouted indignantly, embarrassed by the teasing of his upperclassmen.

"Better hope he doesn't mess up then." Tsukishima muttered, but still loud enough for the wing spiker to hear. "What was that, Tsukishima!?" He lunged at the blond, only to be pulled back by the scruff of his neck.

"Stop that! It's almost time for us to warm up on the court!" Sugawara chastised. They all marched onto the court, preparing for their first match against Tokonami.

Tanaka was practicing his serves when he hit a particularly strong one. _I'm feeling good today_. He thought to himself. He reached into the pocket of his shorts to feel the fabric of the charm, grinning like an idiot.

"UUUOOOHH! Ryu, your girlfriend is pretty in normal clothes too!" Nishinoya shouted with glee. Tanaka jumped at the sudden exclamation, a blush rapidly forming on his cheeks. He quickly swerved to see Nishinoya and a few others looking up at the stands. The libero's eyes were sparkling like they would when he would greet Kiyoko.

Tanaka quickly followed their line of sight to find Tsukiko standing just behind the railings.

His breath caught in his throat.

Just like on their 'date,' he could only see one thing. He could only see one girl. All of the surroundings and people faded into a blur.

Like on the date, she was just as cute – just as beautiful, if not more so. She wore a similar pleated, pastel pink, high waisted skirt that reached the top of her knees. It was met with a white, long-sleeved crop top with a turtleneck. Being as modest as always, she wore black leggings underneath the skirt to cover the rest of her legs. The same pastel pink, shoulder bag was draped over one arm.

Being as loud as he was, Tsukiko clearly heard Nishinoya's shouts. She blushed furiously because she now had several people's attentions due to the compliment. More importantly, she was referred to as Tanaka's _girlfriend_.

She crouched a little, as if trying to hide behind the railing because of her embarrassment. Her eyes met Tanaka's and they both stopped just to stare at one another.

Tanaka was admiring her in her normal clothes, but this was a first for Tsukiko as well. She had seen the boy in his gym clothes and in the pinny jersey often used during practice, but she had never actually seen him in the true Karasuno Boys' Volleyball club uniform.

 _Cool_.

She thought to herself. Tsukiko believed the outfit really did suit him. In particular, it really showed off his arm and leg muscles. Her thoughts were interrupted by another loud shout.

"Kita-saaaaan! You made it!" This time, it was Hinata jumping up and down in excitement. Tsukiko jolted in place. What was she just thinking?! She shook her head a bit to rid herself of such impure thoughts.

She gave a small wave and a shy smile to the team. "Kita-saaaaaan!" Hinata shouted again to get her attention. She glanced at him to see that he was still jumping, now with his hand stuck out, holding one of her handmade charms. "Thank you so much for the omamori!"

Some other members of the team also took out their charms to let her see, bowing slightly in thanks. Tsukiko's eyes sparkled, and she gave them all a wide grin with slightly pink cheeks.

The warning whistle blew, signaling the end of their warm-up. All of the members but Tanaka started heading off. He was still looking up at Tsukiko, meeting her gaze.

Slowly, he took the charm out to show her. Grasping it in a fist, he held it to his chest and over his heart. He smiled at her gently, gave her a firm nod, then jogged to meet the others.

Tsukiko's entire face blew up at that. If it weren't for the turtleneck, one could see that the blush had even reached her neck. She was now wondering if it was a bad idea to wear it because of the extreme heat she felt.

Another whistle blew, signaling the start of the match. Her eyes became fixated on the court, the other team serving first. It was quickly received and set up for Tanaka to spike. The ball hit against the block and flew past the blockers, earning Karasuno the first point.

Tanaka quickly looked towards the stands to see Tsukiko in awe, giving him a boost of confidence.

He shouted in triumph along with Nishinoya, but got too excited, earning themselves a reprimanding from Daichi, Sugawara, and even the referee.

The wing spiker glanced back up at Tsukiko, meeting her eyes and seeing her hiding a small giggle behind her hand. Blushing, he quickly looked away and prepared for his own serve.

The match continued heavily in Karasuno's favor. Throughout both of the sets, Tanaka continuously watched out for Tsukiko's reactions, especially when he scored.

He would catch her clapping or jumping a bit in excitement and nodding her head at him in acknowledgement. Other times, he would see her mouthing words of encouragement like 'Nice kill!' or 'Fight!' or 'Do your best!'

She never said these out loud or cheered but perhaps he had expected a bit too much, knowing her shy nature. Even so, her silent cheers weren't too bad either.

Tanaka knew that they were only meant for him because she would only do it when he was watching.

 _ **Her cheers were just for him.**_

No, this wasn't bad at all.

The team had a short break before their next official warm-up and next match. When the opponent came onto the court, Tsukiko recognized the name Datekou. It was one of the teams that Tanaka had mentioned as per their 'agreement.'

Their entrance was followed by loud cheers since their team seemed to have much more support than Karasuno. Though she was startled by the noise at first, even Tsukiko thought that the cheer was quite catchy.

Just as before, Tanaka looked up at the stands to see that Tsukiko was still there. She was a bit shaken by the cheers for Datekou and the lack thereof for Karasuno. Feeling a bit bad at that, the shy girl felt as though she should at least try saying something.

Prompted by Tanaka's gaze, she used her hands to cup around her mouth and semi-shouted, "D-Do your best!" It wasn't that loud, but it was just loud enough for him to hear. Feeling embarrassed again, she strengthened her grip on the railings and slightly crouched down like she was hiding.

Tanaka's eyes widened significantly. He was fully expecting her to mouth the words again, but actually hearing her was a pleasant surprise. Tanaka flashed a full smile, gave her a thumbs up, and jogged onto the court. He gripped the charm still in his pocket along the way.

It was nice to know that Tsukiko was doing her best as well.


	30. Chapter 30

**GO! GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! DATEKOU!**

Tsukiko was gripping the railings so hard that her nails turned white, deep concern etched onto her face. She knew that Karasuno was amazing – their first match against Tokonami proved it.

However, their match against Datekou showed just what they can do. This match was much less one-sided than the other, and it is through adversity that Karasuno can really prove their true strength.

Even so, that didn't stop Tsukiko from worrying.

Her worries were soon quelled though. She had seen the quicks used by the oddball duo, but they seemed a bit different and even more amazing during this game. Slowly but surely, Karasuno was racking up the points through those quicks and Hinata being a decoy.

Occasionally, during the most exhilarating points of the match, Tsukiko would yip in excitement. She did it more often when Tanaka was the one to blow past the 'Iron Wall.' They were never particularly loud, but it was much more excitement than she was used to.

It seemed like the team's joy was contagious, and Tsukiko unknowingly was unable to contain it.

Karasuno earned their second win that day and prepared to sit in the stands to watch the rest of Seijoh's match. The team walked to the stands where Tsukiko was. "Tsukiko-chan!" Tanaka called out to her first, followed by Nishinoya and Hinata. Their excitement got the best of them and they dashed over to her, jumping up and down.

Meeting them halfway, Tsukiko joined in their enthusiasm. "Y-You guys were amazing! H-Hinata-kun, your spikes were like 'whoosh' a-and then 'kaboom!' A-And Nishinoya-senpai, your receives made me go like 'uwaahh!'" She spoke fast, barely able to contain herself. Nearly the whole team looked at her in surprise. Even Nishinoya and Hinata stopped their jumping because of the shock.

Finally noticing her actions, Tsukiko squeaked and quickly covered her mouth with both hands. The boys could clearly see the blush crawling out from under her turtleneck and up her face, past her bulging eyes and reaching her hairline.

"T-Tsukiko-chan…?" Tanaka prodded, causing her to jump. "I-I-I-I mean, g-g-good j-job!"

"TSUKIKO-CHAAAAAN!" Tanaka and Nishinoya nearly spilled their tears. They rubbed furiously at their eyes. Sugawara and Daichi brought the team back together before they could cause too much of a disturbance.

"Okay, okay! Let's all calm down and sit before we get yelled at... **again**." Daichi emphasized the last part, reminding the overly-excitable second-year duo of what happened in their first match. They quickly shut up and sat down like good boys.

Tanaka sat on Tsukiko's left, and the open seat on her right was soon filled by Kiyoko. The manager smiled and pat the shy girl's back, giving her a little comfort to help her calm down. Tsukiko appreciated the effort, but her face was still burning.

"Oooh! Ryu, isn't this a great sight!" Nishinoya exclaimed, referring to the two girls. "Yeah, it sure is…" Tanaka agreed, but amazingly enough, he wasn't even looking at Kiyoko for once and his eyes were only on Tsukiko.

Most of her face was still red and she kept fidgeting in place, anxious about being so close to him. She would fan her face with her hands every once in a while to subdue some of the heat.

 _So cute…_

Was it legal to be this happy? Was it actually allowed?

Him and his team had just won both their matches with straight sets. He was sitting next to the girl that he likes. He even got to hear how excited she was about their wins.

She was so excited that she barely even stuttered just then. There was a brief moment that Tanaka wanted to be the only one to hear her speak like that, but he couldn't be so selfish.

The fact that she was even opening up at all was so thrilling. He wondered how much longer it would take for her to be completely at ease with him. Maybe when they started dating? Well, he'd have to win against Seijoh first.

After thinking about it a little more, he figured that seeing her getting flustered all the time was cute enough. He could wait however long it would take for her to speak normally with him.

Tanaka was completely in the midst of his daydreaming when his exceptional hearing caught the whisperings of two boys.

"Hey, hey, aren't those girls really cute?" "Oh yeah, that's Karasuno's manager, right?" Nishinoya had now heard as well, becoming irritated.

"Yeah, but the other girl is sooo my type!" Tanaka snapped. He immediately whipped his head around to glare at the two boys, Nishinoya joining him. Their brows were completely furrowed and their eyes were red with flames.

"GRRRRR!" They hissed and growled, holding up both of their hands and clawing at the air. The boys from another team flinched at the clear aggression.

Sugawara hand chopped the second-year duo's heads. "Stop that! Can't you behave yourselves for even a minute?" Hearing this, Daichi turned to them with one of his deadly smiles. It was the kind that didn't reach the eyes.

The libero and wing spiker broke out into a cold sweat, turned back around, and pretended to pay attention to the match. They had deadpan expressions and the color was quickly draining from their faces.

Eventually, they really were focusing on the match. The entire team was reminded that they have a tough match tomorrow, seeing what Oikawa could do as a setter.

When they were all heading out, Tanaka offered to walk Tsukiko home. She politely declined, saying that she couldn't possibly bother him with that and that he should stick with the team so that they could go over their game plan for tomorrow. Tanaka reluctantly agreed before they both parted ways.

"Make sure you let me know when you get home! Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep soundly at night!" Tanaka yelled out to her before he got on the team's bus.

Tsukiko nodded. "I-I will!" She waved to him until the bus was out of sight.

"Man, I wish I had a girlfriend to cheer for me like that…" Narita sighed out. "Don't we all?" Kinoshita chimed in.

With crossed arms, Nishinoya nodded vigorously. "It'd be nice to be cheered on by a cute girl like Tsukiko-chan, but…" He opened his eyes, a gleam to them. "Kiyoko-san is the only one for me, after all!" He looked straight in her direction but the manager chose to ignore him, simply staring out the window with her normally impassive expression.

"Ahh! Getting ignored by Kiyoko-san!" The libero nearly shivered.

Not even hearing most of the conversations around him, Tanaka was just looking at his phone. Obviously, it was impossible for Tsukiko to have made it back home so quickly, but he was no less eager.

His eagerness, however, didn't last too long since the physical toll of the two matches that day began to take its effect. Soon enough, the entire bus was completely silent.

After such a long day, Tanaka finally made it home. With falling asleep on the bus and the team meeting back at school, he could check his phone at last. Seeing that he had one message, he quickly flipped the phone open.

 _From: Kita Tsukiko_

 _Subject: Good job!_

 _Text: I've made it back home safely, and I hope you have too. Your matches were incredible – I couldn't look away for even a second!_ (∩╹O╹∩)

 _I wasn't able to tell you earlier, but I thought you were really cool! Your spikes were like 'kapow' and 'kaboom'! You were really amazing! I'll be seeing your match tomorrow too, and do your best!_ (●≧ω≦)9

Tanaka had another one of his goofy smiles. She was explaining things just as she did for Nishinoya and Hinata earlier. Just as usual, the way she typed and the emoticons she used were just too cute.

Tanaka was going to reply, but then he noticed that he could scroll down the message – very far down. He scrolled all the way to the bottom to see smaller font and froze.

 _I hope you win your match tomorrow._ (｡￫ˇ艸￩)

He thought that there was no way she could get any cuter. He thought that there was no way she could get him to like her any more. Clearly, he was wrong.

As if his earlier fatigue was just an illusion, Tanaka became more energetic than ever. He was renewed with completely new energy. He started running around in his small room and shouting in triumph. His words were nearly indistinguishable, though one could maybe hear something along the lines of 'cute' and 'girlfriend.'

His little episode was interrupted by his older sister, yelling at him and reminding him what time of the night it was.

The next day, he arrived at the Sendai City Gym with the rest of the team. "Tanaka-san! What happened to your eyes?!" Hinata yelped out. "Uhh…I had trouble sleeping last night. I was too excited for our match against Seijoh." He replied.

Tsukishima snickered, earning him a glare from the wing spiker. "What are you, a grade schooler?" He chose to ignore the blond, hoping to save his energy for the game instead.

Tanaka noticed that all the other second-years were gathered together, giving him suggestive looks, raising their eyebrows up and down. "Stop it, you guys!" Tanaka spluttered out.

Narita laughed good naturedly and pointed up at the stands. "Look! Kita-san is already here!" Tanaka immediately looked to where he was pointing and found her while barely even trying.

Tsukiko was standing in the same spot as yesterday, behind the railings. Today, she was wearing dark, skinny jeans with a long sleeved and layered tunic. It was a light orange, making Tanaka smile.

Whether on purpose or not, she was sporting the team's colors.

The shy girl met his eyes and smiled gently at him. She waved without hesitation. Though still somewhat embarrassed, she didn't even try hiding behind the railings this time.

Tanaka gave her the biggest smile he could manage before jumping onto the court.


	31. Chapter 31

_**GO, GO, GO, GO, GO, SEIJOH!**_

 _ **PUSH IT, PUSH IT, PUSH IT, PUSH IT, PUSH IT, SEIJOH!**_

Somehow, these cheers made Tsukiko feel even worse than Datekou's. Datekou most certainly had support, but Seijoh felt like they had even more if that was even possible. Maybe it had something to do with this 'Oikawa' person?

His support wasn't unwarranted though. Even as a complete novice and with her limited knowledge of the sport, Tsukiko could still tell that this 'Oikawa' was an amazing player.

Karasuno wasn't exactly doing poorly, but they weren't in a good spot either. They seemed to barely be hanging on, precariously balancing on a four or five point difference right from the get-go.

Tsukiko's negative thoughts were banished as soon as she heard Tanaka's loud voice. " **SORYAAA! TAKE THAT!"** His spike blew past the block, earning the team a very much needed point. He was completely pumped, helping to boost the entire team's morale.

Tsukiko furiously shook her head to rid herself of all the negativity. How could she have gotten disheartened so easily? This is Karasuno that we're talking about! She knew just how strong they could be – she'd seen it firsthand many times.

Of course, it would be Tanaka to always keep his chin up. She gently smiled, being reminded of just how amazing he is. Gaining some courage from his influence, Tsukiko held up her hands to cup around her mouth. "N-Nice kill!" She slightly shouted.

With Tanaka's ears like a hawk, he easily caught her cheers and flashed her a confident smile. There was a small tint of pink on Tsukiko's cheeks, and she pumped her fists a little in front of her to strengthen her resolve.

Her smile fell as soon as Tanaka turned around to re-focus on the game.

Although she had faith in Karasuno, there was just something…unsettling. No matter what she did, Tsukiko couldn't shake off this bad feeling. She gripped hard at the railings, hoping that her fears were irrational and that she was just being paranoid.

That wasn't the case.

That unsettling, bad feeling she had was soon answered. Once again, Tsukiko worried about how scary Oikawa could be. Every time he had targeted Tanaka, Tsukiko clenched the railings tighter. Every time Tanaka scowled in frustration at a misplay, Tsukiko bit her lip harder.

Even when the wing spiker was able to get the ball in the air, it was immediately shut down again by the other players of Seijoh. Karasuno had already called a time-out because of the problem.

Tanaka was slightly getting the hang of receiving Oikawa's serves, but it was just barely enough to keep the ball in the air. He managed to get another one in the air but not to the setter. Hinata had to cover and he passed it back to Tanaka to spike.

 _Quiet._

Tsukiko's eyes widened. Something wasn't right. It was _too_ quiet. That wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to call out for the ball. He was supposed to yell to intimidate his opponent.

 _But he didn't_.

The spike was firmly shut out by the opponent team, forcing another time-out from Karasuno.

Tsukiko felt her stomach drop. The color from her face was gone.

Tanaka was walking to the bench, obviously crestfallen. All of his earlier enthusiasm was missing. His shoulders were a bit slumped. There was a deep scowl on his face.

Frustration? Guilt? Anguish?

Tsukiko couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling right now. She had never seen him like this before. The Tanaka that she knew was always happy, always loud, always ready to make her day or anybody else's.

" _You're lost, right?!"_

" _I'm Tanaka Ryunosuke! What's your name?"_

" _Tanaka Ryunosuke, here! But you can call me 'Senpai'!"_

" _I-It's already dark out, and it's dangerous for a cute girl like you to walk out by herself!"_

" _What kind of man and senpai is he?! Worrying an innocent girl like you!"_

" _You haven't put on weight at all. And there's no way you wouldn't be beautiful anyways!"_

" _Y-You look…stunning."_

" _You just said you wanted to watch this, right? Then it's fine! Come on!"_

" _I realized today that you're a really special girl to me, Kita-san…"_

" _We'll definitely win, so come cheer for us!"  
_

She remembered all the times that Tanaka was energetic, all the times he was helpful, all the times he cheered her up and made her happy.

He was the complete opposite right now.

Tsukiko's hands were wrapped around the railings, her nails digging back into her palms. She was biting her lip to the point of nearly drawing blood.

It was times like this where she really cursed her shyness, her stutter, her awkwardness, **everything**.

How could she not say anything when Tanaka was like this?!

As her eyes followed his solemn figure walking to the bench, the girl's grip on the railings slackened. Her arms fell to her sides, lifeless. Slowly and shakily, she lifted them back up to cup her hands around her mouth. Tsukiko took a deep breath.

" **TANAKA-SENPAI!"**

The boy flinched and slowly turned around to look up at the stands.

" **I know you can win! Please do your best!"**

It was as if the whole gymnasium was silent, like everybody was just as shocked as he was. Tanaka stared at her with the widest eyes he has ever had, his mouth slightly agape.

Her hands were still up and in the cupping motion but a little bit away from her face, allowing her to breathe better. She was panting hard and her chest was heaving, as though she had run a marathon. She may as well have since the shouting actually took that much physical toll on her.

Even though she was so far away, Tanaka zoned in on her like he always did.

She had the most concerned face that he had ever seen. He could see the small tears at the corner of her eyes about to fall.

After what felt like an eternity, Tanaka closed his mouth and his eyes returned to their normal size. He looked down at his feet again.

Thinking that her efforts had failed, Tsukiko began to deflate, becoming even more depressed. She jolted in surprise when she heard his shouts and the loud, distinctive slap of his hands on his face.

He lifted his head and removed his hands to reveal red cheeks and resolution in his eyes.

Tanaka stared at Tsukiko again, this time with determination. He gave her a single, firm, and reassuring nod.

With the adrenaline pooling out of her system and relief flooding in, Tsukiko collapsed to her knees. Hanging onto the railings, she just barely saw Tanaka bowing to his teammates. She heard his loud apologies and the time-out soon ended.

The players returned to the court, and Karasuno prepared to receive another of Oikawa's serves.

Tsukiko winced when she witnessed Tanaka receiving the ball with his chest. She held her breath when it was falling closer to the floor. She felt a moment of relief when Hinata and Kageyama were able to connect and send it back.

The ball was soon spiked back over to Karasuno but was received by Nishinoya.

" **LEEEEEEFT!"** Tanaka's calls ringed in Tsukiko's ears. She looked on with a mixture of worry, anticipation, and hope.

She clasped her hands together like she was praying for the spike to go through.

She heard the ball slamming into the floor along with Tanaka's shouts of triumph.

"Tch. And I was hoping to get three or four more points like this, too!" Oikawa muttered in disappointment. He looked up to where Tsukiko was and hummed in thought. "Hmmm. Who knew baldy had a girlfriend like that…"

Tanaka's ears almost seemed to enlarge, and he quickly swiveled his head to glare at the setter. His glare soon diminished and his lips tilted up in a smile. He sneered at Oikawa, as if he were laughing in some sort of victory.

The setter was immediately irked. "I don't really care about losing one or two girls, but losing to that monk-cut is kind of pissing me off." He then shouted in pain, receiving a kick to the back from Iwaizumi. "Worry about losing the game and not some girl you don't even know, Assikawa!"

"Iwa-chan, that hurt! You don't have to kick me just because you're jealous!" The setter yelped again, receiving yet another kick to the back.

Having ignored the duo, Tanaka returned to looking up at the stands. He easily found Tsukiko.

The unshed tears finally fell from the corners of her eyes, but these were tears of joy and relief. Noticing the wing spiker's stare, she quickly used her sleeve to rub at her eyes. She didn't want to worry him with her crying.

Tanaka waited for her to finish so that he could meet her gaze again. He had one hand in his pocket, clutching her hand-made charm. When she looked at him, his grip on the charm tightened and he smiled.

His mouth opened and closed in what appeared to be speech. Even though he was silent, it was different from before and didn't worry Tsukiko.

She easily caught his message and couldn't have been happier at that moment.

" _Thank you."_


	32. Chapter 32

**Aobajousai Vs Karasuno**

 **Set Count: 2-1**

 _ **They lost…**_

The look of pure devastation on each of the players' faces was more than enough to break Tsukiko's heart.

The anger. The frustration. The guilt.

It was all there, from their tightly bitten lips to their held back tears.

As the team lined up to bow, Tsukiko bit her own lips in frustration. She lamented the fact that there really was nothing that she could do but sympathize with them and clap for them. Letting her tears fall for the second time that day, Tsukiko alternated between clapping and rubbing at her eyes with her sleeves.

As she clapped with all the other watchers, her eyes fell onto Tanaka seething with anger. She wondered if it was anger at the outcome, anger at himself, or anger at both.

He hadn't looked up to see her even once, most likely too pained about the defeat to do so. Seeing the unfallen tears in his eyes like all of his teammates, Tsukiko cried harder. Was there really nothing more she could do?

She tried closing her eyes tight to hold back the tears, but such a task was easier said than done. All she could do was watch the team pack up their stuff and leave the court through blurry vision. Quickly trying to gather herself, Tsukiko rushed out to follow them.

The boys walked on in solemn silence, most of them looking down at their feet or gripping the strap of their bags so hard that their knuckles turned white.

A few of the members heard the pitter patter of feet running towards them. When they looked back, they were met with a panting Tsukiko. The poor girl was holding herself up by latching her hands onto her knees in a bent position.

As she was catching her breath, she tilted her head upwards to look for Tanaka. Absorbed by his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed her and was still looking down at the ground. He was jolted out of his brooding by a tap on the shoulder from Ennoshita who then pointed in Tsukiko's direction.

Tanaka followed his finger to see Tsukiko finally calming down and straightening herself up. He looked back at his friends and they all gave him understanding nods, continuing down the hallway without him.

The second-year slowly walked over to the shy girl. His eyes went anywhere but on her. It was as if he didn't dare to look at her or that he couldn't bring himself to.

He stopped a few steps in front of her. Neither of them had made any other sound, both suddenly taking an immense interest in the floor.

Tanaka didn't say anything for obvious reasons and Tsukiko kept her mouth shut in uncertainty. At the time, her legs moved on their own and she only wished to see him face-to-face. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure what she should say or even do. _Was_ there even anything she could say?

As the time passed and the silence stretched on, Tsukiko felt more pathetic and an even greater sense of dread. She balled her hands into fists, firmly clenching the hem of her tunic.

Tanaka was the first to break the silence. "…Sorry." Tsukiko seemed to freeze at that one word. She slowly lifted her head to look at him in shock and disbelief. He still refused to look at her, eyes cast downward.

"Sorry…you had to see all that…Sorry that you made all these charms and we couldn't win…Sorry that I made you come out ju—" " **Don't apologize!"** The second-year flinched upon hearing the near unrecognizable voice. It was already louder than what she normally sounded like, but the empty and quiet hallway seemed to give it much more impact.

He finally took a good look at her. She was gritting her teeth and was furiously rubbing at her eyes, a clear stream of tears falling down her cheeks and off her chin.

Tsukiko cursed herself for crying again when she had finally composed herself enough to stop just moments ago. "D-Don't apologize for s-something like that…I didn't c-come here to b-blame you or to g-guilt trip you…" She managed to say between her sniffles and hiccups. She still didn't know exactly what she planned to do, but it sure wasn't to hear him apologize.

Tanaka looked down again. It pained him to face her. It pained him to see her like this. It pained him to know that he was a big cause of her tears. "Still…I'm sorry that you made such an effort to cheer for us…for me…and I cou—" " **Stop!** " She tried to keep the tears in, but it was just impossible for her. The more he spoke, the harder she cried.

"P-Please…stop…I came to s-support you…not to s-see you win." She choked out. Tanaka just bit his lip, head hanging low. "I d-don't care that y-you didn't win. I-I know that y-you tried your b-best."

"But my best wasn't good enough!" She flinched at his sudden shout, momentarily stopping her hiccups to stare at him with wide eyes. He was slightly shaking, his hands rolled into tight fists at his sides.

His voice grew louder in proportion to his anger. "I should've practiced more. I should've called for the ball more. I should've tried harder! **My best just wasn't good enough!** "

" **Then you just have to get better!** " Not being able to take it any longer, Tsukiko quickly closed the gap between them. She grabbed onto both of his arms, almost shaking him in place. Her head ducked underneath his bent one, forcing him to look at her. Tanaka grit his teeth harder upon seeing her pleading eyes.

"J-Just because you l-lost doesn't m-mean that you a-aren't s-strong…If you d-don't think you're s-strong enough, t-then you just h-have to get stronger!" She didn't even care about her tears anymore. All she wanted was for him to understand that none of this was his fault.

"Th-The ones who are s-strong, aren't strong b-because they win! They w-win because they are strong! The r-really strong ones a-are those that can win e-even when they've l-lost! L-Losing doesn't m-mean you're w-weak!" Tsukiko had no idea if any of this was making sense to him, but she was acting purely on instinct at this point. She had to say something – **anything** – to help him.

As if she were losing strength, her head dipped down and hung underneath his. The top of her head almost touched Tanaka's chest. "T-Tanaka-senpai…p-please stop apologizing. P-Please stop b-blaming yourself…P-Please keep being strong l-like how you were i-in the match. L-Like when you sh-shut down their c-captain's streak w-with your own p-power – when you p-picked yourself b-back up a-after falling down."

She was breathing hard. She was gasping for breath between the hiccups. Her head was still hung low against his chest and she still held onto him, but there was none of the strength in her grasp like earlier.

Tsukiko shuddered when she felt something wet fall on top of her head. She inched her head up to look at Tanaka.

His lips were pushed together in a firm line, completely sealing his mouth. Even though he was silent, the tears flowing from his eyes were clear. He lifted his arms up to wipe the tears away, causing Tsukiko to let go of them. She just stood there, watching him with her own tears still falling.

He was still rubbing at his eyes when she finally heard him speak again. "…So lame…" He mumbled.

He continued quietly. "…So lame, losing…So lame, having you slap me back to my senses…So lame, crying in front of the girl I like…" Tsukiko gently smiled through her tears. She held onto his arms again, pulling them down from his face and then pulling him towards her.

The boy laid his forehead onto her shoulder, soaking it. "I-It's not lame. S-Strong people can c-cry too. They even b-become stronger b-because of it!" She softly whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around him.

He returned the hug with much more force, like he was afraid that she might disappear if he didn't hold on tight enough. Like he was transferring all of his gratitude into this one hug.

They didn't know how long they held onto each other like that, both of their cries reverberating in the empty hallway.


	33. Chapter 33

_*Clink*_

Tsukiko's chopsticks clinked together against her lunchbox. It seemed as though she were in her own little world with a lifeless expression, absentmindedly shoveling food into her mouth.

Yachi knew that Tsukiko was quiet just by nature, but there was nothing like this depressing and deafening silence. She had heard of the volleyball team's loss, but she had no idea that it would affect her friend like so.

Very few words were exchanged between the two, the most verbal interaction being normal greetings such as 'Good morning.' Throughout the morning classes, Yachi could faintly feel the gloomy aura surrounding the shy girl. It's not like she usually participated much in class, but this time she made an effort not to be noticed, only catching attention when the teacher called on her.

Today, even the classmates that barely knew she existed could feel something off. Some looked on with concern and others in confusion. The extra stares didn't even faze Tsukiko, seeing as she hadn't even noticed. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't have the time to be embarrassed.

Lunchtime came around and Yachi finally got the chance to properly speak to the girl. "K-Kita-chan…?" The sound of her name prompted Tsukiko to lift her head. She met the eyes of a very concerned blonde.

The girl jolted a little in shock. "I-I'm sorry Yachi-chan! D-Did you say s-something?" The blonde frowned a bit more. Even Tsukiko's shocked expressions and apologies didn't hold as much impact as they usually did.

She shook her head in response. "No! It's just…are you alright?" Tsukiko paused and sighed. She put down her chopsticks completely and placed the lid over her lunchbox, not seeming to have an appetite.

"S-Sorry for w-worrying you. I'm j-just thinking a-about…" Unable to finish her thought, she looked down again with a slightly pained expression. Yachi placed her own chopsticks down.

"I heard about the volleyball team…b-but it's okay! They still have the Spring High Tournament, right?" She grew a bit more excited, having remembered about the other sports competition and hoping that she found something that would lift her friend's spirits.

"…I-I guess." Tsukiko replied unenthusiastically. Yachi's excitement deflated at her dull response. She didn't expect her friend to completely brighten at the news, but she also didn't expect her to be so unresponsive.

Maybe it wasn't so much the loss that she was upset about, but something else? Yachi's eyes widened marginally.

"You're not upset about the team's loss…" She absentmindedly whispered. It was merely a statement and an observation that she had just made, but Tsukiko mistook the words to be an accusation.

She frantically shook her head in denial. "I-I am! I am u-upset about the l-loss. It's j-just…um…" The shy girl looked down again, but this time it was in embarrassment.

Yachi leaned in towards the girl and whispered, as if to shield their conversation from outside ears. "C-Could it be about…Tanaka-senpai?" Her friend offered no response, but the creeping blush upon her face was more than enough of an answer.

The blonde gasped, her suspicions confirmed. "Did something happen!?" Shaking her head and waving her hands about, Tsukiko denied anything. "N-Nothing happened! W-We just…" She hesitated to divulge any information, but ultimately decided to tell her about what happened immediately after their loss to Seijoh.

At the end of her accounts of what occurred, even Yachi held a small blush on her cheeks. "So, are you two dating now?" She was still whispering for some reason, leaning in very closely to Tsukiko.

The girl in question averted her eyes once more. "We're not d-d-dating, but…" It seemed she was having lots of trouble finishing her sentences today. Yachi's eyes widened again, letting her imagination run wild. Except, her imaginations became true. "You like him!"

Tsukiko looked to the blonde and then quickly looked down again. Shyly, hesitantly, she gave the smallest of nods. Yachi, on the other hand, gave the hugest of grins. "I-I realized during the m-match how I f-feel about him."

"Then, you were thinking about what to say to him this whole time?" Tsukiko gave another shy nod. Yachi smiled supportively at her. "It's okay! He'll definitely be happy about it. He confessed to you first, after all! Kita-chan, fight!" She pumped her fists for emphasis.

The blushing girl held her cheeks, immensely embarrassed about revealing her feelings but was very appreciative of her friend's support. It gave her the slight boost in confidence that she needed to finalize her decision in telling Tanaka.

That confidence went out the window when she was actually in front of the gymnasium though. Her heart was thumping against her chest, its normally solid rhythm turning into an erratic one. A cold sweat was building up on her temple and her palms.

She closed her eyes and drew in air. One hand rested over her heart as she tried steadily releasing her breath. Opening her eyes halfway, she slowly breathed in and out again. Finally, she looked directly in front of at the metal doors. Her eyes were completely open, but they still held a flash of uncertainty in them.

Releasing one final, strong breath, she slid the doors open just enough to poke her head through. Despite having resolved herself, she still wasn't brave enough to make such a grand entrance.

What she saw was nothing short of incredible. The team was practicing like usual, like a well-oiled machine. If she didn't know any better, Tsukiko would never have guessed that they were so devastated by their loss yesterday. Their resilience never ceased to amaze her and gave her a bit more strength.

"TSUKIKO-CHAN!" She was noticed nearly immediately by Tanaka, though it was actually Nishinoya that shouted her name first. She flinched, still not used to his overly lively nature. Tanaka and Nishinoya jogged up to her as she fully stepped inside and bowed to the team. "E-Excuse me for the i-intrusion."

Tanaka gazed at her with a gentleness that melted her heart. She hadn't seen or talked to him since their little crying session yesterday, and she was overjoyed at his recovery. "Did you come to see us practice again?" He asked. To his and some other members' surprise, she shook her head.

Tsukiko couldn't meet his eyes, not yet. The heat and blush on her cheeks were as prominent as ever. "A-Actually, I wanted to t-talk with you…"

"Ooooooooo!" The team sounded like a couple of grade schoolers when a classmate was called into the principal's office and was possibly in trouble. Some of the boys gave Tanaka suggestive looks, raising their eyebrows up and down. "S-Stop it, you guys!" His stutter revealed his sudden nervousness. "We can talk outside." He said as he walked her out.

Of course, much of the team was too interested and too invested in this to just leave it at that. They quietly crept up to the barred windows, pushing each other for a better view.

They walked over to the same place where they first had a conversation when Tsukiko called him out. That time, she was apologizing for mistaking him for a delinquent. Tanaka almost chuckled at the memory when Tsukiko started speaking.

"I-I'm glad that y-you all are energetic." He knew that she probably wanted to add 'after that loss' but didn't out of consideration. He smiled at her. She thought that smile coupled with his gentle gaze just wasn't fair.

"Thank you." A small sense of confusion crossed her face. "For everything." Tanaka began to clarify as he pulled out her charm. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected that he would keep it on his person even after the tournament. "The other guys want to thank you for this and for your support also, even though some of them would be too stubborn to admit it." He was mostly only referring to Tsukishima.

Tanaka smiled again. "And I want to say thank you again for giving me the strength I needed."

 _No, I should be saying that._

Tsukiko was floored. What did she do to deserve this man's praise? She didn't think she did anything much. If anybody was giving the other strength, it was definitely him. Yet, he was the one who thanked her first. The girl started tearing up. Seeing this, Tanaka panicked. "Ah! D-Did I say something wrong!? I'm sorry!"

If she weren't so busy crying, she would've laughed. She instead opted for a smile and a shake of her head to reassure him. "N-No, I'm just…really h-happy." Tanaka lifted his hand to her face, using a finger to gently wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. Suddenly realizing their proximity to each other, the two slightly jumped away.

"U-Umm…a-about what you s-said for the matches…" His blank expression prompted her to elaborate, as much as she was embarrassed. "A-About you winning a-against Datekou a-and Seijoh…"

So that's what she came here to talk about.

Realization dawned on Tanaka. He scratched the back of his neck with a hand, smiling and laughing sheepishly in order to mask the pain. "Actually, about that…I never meant to pressure you. I realized that I didn't actually ask for your consent and I just acted without thinking. I'm sorry if I made you feel awkward. Y-You can just forget about all of that."

 _But I don't want to forget._

Tsukiko just stood still, incapable of speaking while processing his words.

He said all this because he figured that his words may have been eating Tsukiko up inside. He assumed that she was probably thinking about how to reject him all this time but didn't have the heart to break him. She probably felt pressured to just let him make the deal. With her kind and shy nature, this was completely plausible.

Except it wasn't.

It was just the opposite. Although she never said anything about it, Tsukiko secretly wished for them to win both those matches. Of course, she wanted them to win regardless, but there was just the slightest ulterior motive in her even if she didn't realize it.

She kept mulling over his words, and her thoughts immediately took a turn for the worse. Why did he want her to forget? Is it because he wants to retract the deal? Could it be that he no longer has feelings for her and that's why he wants her to forget about it?

Tanaka looked down, his mouth set in a frown. "I hope we can at least still be friends though…"

 _ **I don't want that**_ **.**

They both grimaced. There wasn't a single part of Tanaka that wanted to let her go, but he was willing to be manly and do the 'right thing.' This isn't what Tsukiko wanted at all, but she was having so much trouble vocalizing her thoughts.

How could she be quiet at a time like this? She internally shook herself to her senses. She came here to do this and she would do it.

Tanaka began turning around, starting to head back to the gym for practice. "Sorry you had to come all the way out here to talk to me and that you were probably worrying ov—"

"Tanaka-senpai!" Her sudden shout stopped him in his tracks. He faced her again with a look of surprise. She was tense, hands clasping tightly to her skirt like she was clinging to it for support. Her eyes were tightly shut, her mouth in a tight line like she was in pain trying to get through something.

" _ **I…I like you!**_ _"_


	34. Chapter 34

_**"I…I like you!"**_

"…" The only sound came from the ruffling of leaves and the cawing of a few crows nearby.

Tsukiko still had her eyes tightly shut, waiting for a response that never came. The silence was driving her crazy, causing her to open her eyes just a bit to peek at her crush.

Tanaka stood there like a statue. His arms hung lifelessly at his sides. For the longest time, he held the blankest face. Tsukiko opened her eyes fully to examine him. Growing concerned about his silence and stillness, she almost held her hand out to wave back and forth in front of him to even see if he was alive.

Suddenly, he fell out of his reverie and chuckled. It didn't sound like there was any humor in it though. "Y-You mean as a friend…right?" The girl jumped, shaking her head frantically. That's not what she meant at all! Did she say something wrong?

Staring at her again, it seemed as though calculations were running through Tanaka's head. "Then…as a person?" She shook her head again. Why was he being so doubtful? Yes, she liked him as a friend. Yes, she liked his personality. This isn't what she was getting at though!

Oh god, was he really going to make her say it outright when she already went to such pains to say those three words?

She clenched at her skirt and shut her eyes again.

"I…I like you…as a…m-man!"

The next thing she knew, she felt a strong force pressing against and around her waist. She was hoisted into the air, spinning around in circles. Not wanting to fall backwards, Tsukiko quickly wrapped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. Despite the wind, her face was warmer than ever. With no solid support, her feet were dangling, yet she experienced a strange sense of comfort and security. Tanaka's joyous laughter invaded her ears.

They spun around a few more times before he stopped to look up at her, slightly panting.

"I like you, too. I like you a lot. I like you so much!"

Not being able to withstand the bombardment of his embarrassing statements, Tsukiko buried her face in her palms. Tanaka could still see the bright color on her ears and somehow even past her hands. He laughed once more before gently setting her down. He couldn't believe how cute she looked right now.

She thought similar things about his own red face.

Still not wanting to come out of hiding, Tsukiko kept her hands firmly over her face. When she felt the ground beneath her feet again, she started to back away. She was caught by Tanaka before she could even take a single step though.

His hands met her wrists, slowly pulling down her hands to reveal her beautiful features. She shyly peeked up at him, immediately snapping her head back down because she was unable to handle that tender look of his.

Tanaka pressed his forehead to Tsukiko's, forcing her to look at him. It felt as though both of them were having a fever. His eyes became half-lidded as he inched closer to her.

"GOOD GOING, RYU!" "CONGRATS, TANAKA-SENPAI!"

The two lovebirds shouted in surprise, jumping away from each other.

"Hinata! Nishinoya! What are you doing?!" Sugawara cried out. The two boys just looked at him blankly. They both tilted their heads to the side, confused.

"I thought you said we were going to congratulate him?" Hinata asked innocently, Nishinoya nodding in confirmation.

Daichi grew exasperated. "We meant when he comes back to practice! Not during the—Ugh! Forget it! Just get back here!" Him and Sugawara frantically pulled them by the collars of their shirts and slammed the doors shut.

"…" The pair had just watched the ordeal in stunned silence, but the sound of the closing doors brought them back. They blinked, looked at each other, then blinked again. The two burst into a fit of laughing and giggling.

After calming down, Tanaka was the first to speak. "You're not going to watch me practice?" He had moved on from using the terms 'the team' or 'us,' fully accepting his selfishness now that Tsukiko was with him. He wanted her all to himself and he would let her know that.

Tsukiko blushed at the question but ultimately shook her head with disappointment. "I-I have some S-Student Council work…" She hesitated a bit to ask the next question.

" **Can I/you come tomorrow?** " The two stared at one another in surprise, having said the same request at the same time. They laughed again.

Tanaka gazed at her longingly when they fell silent again. He tugged her closer to him, fully embracing her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said, but it felt like a whisper with how close his voice was to her ear. Tsukiko felt a shiver go through her spine, both from his voice and from his touch.

Not trusting her own voice, she just nodded. They split apart but terribly slowly, neither wanting to let go so soon. Tsukiko slightly bowed to him and went off to the Student Council room, Tanaka watching her until she was no longer in sight.

He released a loving sigh of longing before walking back to the gym.

As soon as he opened the doors, he was assaulted with shouts.

"GOOD GOING, RYU!" "CONGRATS, TANAKA-SENPAI!"

He laughed, shouting along with them in triumph.

Sure enough, tomorrow came along and Tsukiko walked into the gym at the beginning of practice. Tanaka met her at the doors, with uninhibited excitement. "Tsukiko-chan, you're here!" She nodded timidly.

The rest of the team could practically see the glowing, flowery, pink aura surrounding the two.

Sugawara came up behind Tanaka, swinging one arm around his shoulder. He gave him some punches to the side, like the kind he would give during their games except harder. Much harder.

"You know, I'm happy for you but this kind of annoys me. Are you trying to rub it in our faces that you have a girlfriend and we don't, huh?" He said with that angelic smile of his.

Nishinoya joined him on Tanaka's other side, punching him as well. "Yeah, Ryu! Get your cute girlfriend to introduce me to some cute girls so that I can get a cute girlfriend too!"

"You should work on your vocabulary first." Tsukishima sneered. Yamaguchi snickered. "There's more to a girl than just being cute…"

While Tanaka was busy getting beat up and teased by the other boys, Hinata rushed up to Tsukiko with a look full of hope on his face.

"Tsukiko-chan! Tsukiko-chan! Do you want to join our club as a manager?!" He shouted. "E-Eh? M-Manager?" She pointed to herself, as if to ask if he was really talking to her.

Hinata nodded repeatedly, clearly very excited about the prospect of another manager. The shy girl fidgeted in place, growing uncomfortable at his eager face. She looked at her feet, no longer able to match his shiny gaze.

"I-I'm sorry H-Hinata-kun. I d-don't think I c-can. I'm already p-part of the Student Council." The boy's face immediately grew disappointed, urging her to clarify.

"I-I wouldn't want to s-split my efforts. Y-You all are giving it your b-best, so you only d-deserve the best too! I-I wouldn't want to d-decide between you and the S-Student Council…" Her voice died out towards the end after noticing many more eyes trained on her.

Some of the members looked at her with gratitude. Tanaka and Nishinoya were tearing up while Hinata looked at her with admiration. "Tsukiko-chaaaaan!" The second-year duo let their tears fall comically.

The team finally started their practice. However, they faced a whole new dilemma at the end with the revelation of incoming final exams. Tsukiko watched on the sides while the team freaked out, mainly Kageyama, Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka.

"U-Umm…I-If it's alright, I could help b-by lending you my n-notes." Hinata felt a glimmer of hope restored in him. "Uoooh! That's right! You're in one of the college prep classes!"

Though grateful for the offer, Daichi didn't want to pressure the poor girl with his team's problems. "Thank you so much Kita-san, but you really don't have to! These four idiots are our problem and responsibility, after all." The 'four idiots' flinched at his harsh words.

Tsukiko fervently shook her head. "I-It's okay! I would l-love to help! You all h-have helped me so much." Daichi and Sugawara blinked at each other. "We have?" They asked.

"Y-Yeah! I-I'm really shy so i-it's hard for me to say w-what's on my mind, b-but this team's spirit and p-passion encouraged me to b-become more open…" She started fidgeting again, feeling the stares. "I-I'm not sure what the s-second-years are learning, b-but maybe I could help them a-as well? It would h-help me review too!"

Once again, the floodgates in Tanaka's and Nishinoya's eyes opened. "TSUKIKO-CHAAAN!" They were both about to jump on her but Ennoshita smacked the back of their heads, calming them down. He led them off for cleanup time.

On their way back home, Tanaka thanked her. "It's really cool of you to help us out, Tsukiko-chan! Thanks! You're such a sweet girl." A goofy smile was plastered on his face.

The first-year had a small smile of her own, coupled with a prominent blush. She enjoyed his compliments but was still entirely unused to them. It didn't help that she was also entirely new to this whole 'dating' thing. They hadn't reached the stage of holding hands yet, but his body being so close to hers gave it shivers.

As he walked, Tanaka looked up at the sky. "But a new manager, huh? I mean, nobody could replace Kiyoko-san, but it would've been nice to have you! Thanks for being so considerate of us! Say, do you know any first-years who aren't in any clubs yet?" He asked.

Tsukiko placed her index finger on her chin in thought. Although she had told the team that they helped her to become more open, she didn't actually have many friends at school. She also didn't know much about the club activities of other first-years.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and one could almost see the light bulb going off above her.


	35. Chapter 35

_*Doki Doki*_

The sound of Yachi's heartbeat was echoing in her ears. _"Uueeh…She's gorgeous! That beauty mark near her mouth is sexy. Kita-chan really knows such a beautiful third-year? Well, Kita-chan is also really cute. Ah. Everyone else around is staring at them too."_

Suddenly, the blonde was snapped back to her senses when she realized that Kiyoko had asked her something. She panicked and just said, "O-Okay!" The manager squeezed her hands in thanks and claimed that she would come by again after school.

Kiyoko walked away with a happy look on her face, people staring at her movements. Tsukiko followed the third-year's actions and grabbed ahold of the girl's hands, her excitement taking over.

"Yachi-chan! Thank you!" She felt her friend's hands shaking and suddenly realized what she had done. "A-Ah! S-Sorry!" Tsukiko dropped Yachi's hands like a hot potato.

"K-K-Kita-chaan! I-I don't know what to do!" Yachi panicked causing Tsukiko to panic. The shy girl tried to calm the blonde. "I-It's okay, Yachi-chan! The team is r-really nice!" Her eyes then widened, thinking of another possibility.

"O-Oh no! I-I'm sorry, Yachi-chan! Are you a-already part of a club? I d-didn't know!" She hurriedly started bowing, ashamed that she had assumed her friend was free to join the volleyball team as a manager.

Yachi frantically shook her head. "N-No! It's not that! I'm just scared is all! I don't know the first thing about volleyball." Tsukiko looked up, the hopeful gleam in her eye returning.

"Th-That's okay! This is just a t-trial run, and the team will h-help you! I'm sure y-you'll be fine." She tried assuring the blonde. Yachi just focused on her breathing, trying to calm down herself. "If you say so…" Even though she trusted her friend, she was still nervous about the whole thing.

"Also, you know such a beautiful third-year, Kita-chan?!" She changed the topic somewhat. "E-Eh? I-I guess. I just know h-her through the t-team. I-Is something the matter?"

Yachi started paling. "I'm scared of what her fans might do to me for talking to her!" Tsukiko gave a confused look. "F-Fans…?" The blonde nodded. "Yeah! Her fans might be mad that I talked to their beauty and they might try to kill me!"

Tsukiko began growing pale as well. "I-I've talked to her before! Then they'll try to k-kill me f-first!" The two held onto each other for dear life, seeking comfort through their fear.

"Y-You'll come with me after school, right? Strength in numbers!" The blonde nearly begged. Tsukiko looked down in shame. "I-I'm sorry, Yachi-chan. I c-can't. I have S-Student Council work to do." Yachi squeaked in fear. "Then they'll just pick us off, one by one!" The two friends continued to fear for their lives for the rest of the lunch period.

The next day, they met up again to discuss. "H-How was meeting the team?" Tsukiko tentatively asked. Yachi grew a bit nervous. "Really lively…but not bad." The two smiled at each other. "Th-That's great! Are you going a-again today?" Tsukiko asked.

Yachi nodded and asked, "Can you come today?" The shy girl blushed in response and looked away in embarrassment. "A-Actually, I asked T-Tanaka-senpai if I could w-watch him practice today…"

The blonde beamed at that, both happy that she wouldn't be alone today and happy for her friend's good relationship. Their conversation was interrupted by a loud voice. "Yachi-san! Tsukiko-chan!"

The two girls jumped in their seats and looked at the orange-haired boy. Yachi began panicking and her overactive imagination started running wild when Hinata introduced himself and Kageyama.

He held out an open notebook and pointed to a spot in the middle of the page. "Please teach us this part in English!" He explained their predicament with the Tokyo training camp and upcoming final exams. Tsukiko glanced between Hinata and Yachi, hatching an idea.

"A-Actually, I'm not the g-greatest at English. B-But Yachi-chan is! She can t-teach you!" Yachi's head swerved to look at Tsukiko so fast that her neck stung a little. Tsukiko immediately avoided her eyes, silently apologizing to the poor girl. "I-I'm going to see T-Tanaka-senpai!"

She dashed out of the classroom before anybody could say anything. Tsukiko placed a hand over her heart, feeling the erratic beating. She had never lied so easily before, but she figured that it would turn out alright in this case. Hopefully, this would be the perfect chance for Yachi to warm up to some members of the team.

Although, she hadn't been lying about going to see Tanaka.

Upon reaching his classroom, Tsukiko slid the door open slightly and poked her head through to peek around. "Ki-chan?" The poor girl almost fell into the classroom with her surprise. "M-M-Matsumoto-senpai!" She turned around to greet the male Student Council President.

He pouted a bit at hearing her. "How many times have I told you to just call me Hiroki? 'Matsumoto-senpai' is just too formal!" She bowed. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just n-not used to it."

The second-year chuckled. "Hmm, whatever!" As he opened the door wider to walk in, he called out. "Tanaka! Your girlfriend is here to see you!"

Tsukiko jumped again in surprise, the blush creeping up her cheeks causing Matsumoto to laugh once more. She knew that others knew about their relationship – Tanaka had made sure of that – but she hadn't been called his girlfriend before now.

Of course, she knew that's what she was, but she just wasn't accustomed to hearing such an embarrassing title.

Tanaka's head immediately turned to face her and his whole face brightened. He was like a dog that had just heard its owner say the word 'walk.' He tried running over to her, but Ennoshita was hot on his trail. He grabbed the boy by the collar, pulling him back to their seats. "Oh, no you don't! You're not getting out of doing this problem!"

"ENNOSHITA-SENSEIIII! YOU'RE TOO CRUEL!" Tanaka cried. "I don't care. Do it." Was Ennoshita's simple response. The other second-years chuckled, although they were mostly doing it out of awkward fear. Ennoshita was certainly the boss when it came to this stuff.

Tanaka sniffled. "But I really don't know how!" Tsukiko looked over his shoulder at the paper, recognizing the general format of the problem. "Oh! Y-You can just do this…" She picked up his pencil, writing the solution in his notebook.

After she finished, the second-years just stared at her in awe. Noticing their silence, Tsukiko quickly dropped the pencil. "S-Sorry! I-I didn't mean to interrupt!" Tanaka inspected the notes extremely closely, astonished at her work.

"Tsukiko-chan! You're amazing! You can do second-year work!? Just how smart are you?!" The girl fiddled with her fingers and looked down. "I-I'm not really! I-I just have a l-lot of time to study…"

"Even so, you're still amazing! I can't stand studying!" Tanaka scrunched up his face in disgust. "Which would explain why your grades suck so bad." Ennoshita retorted. Tanaka frowned at the boy, but he couldn't say anything since he was right and he couldn't risk losing Ennoshita's help.

"U-Umm…I said it b-before but if you n-need help, I might be a-able to." Tsukiko offered. The second-year wing spiker's smile widened. "Then, do you want to come over to my place to study this weekend?" The first-year girl blushed at the thought.

"Say no. He's just using that as an excuse to get you on a date." "Ennoshita! How cruel can you be!?" He turned to Tsukiko again. "Tsukiko-chan! I promise that we'll study together and that I'm not having impure thoughts or intentions!"

"You making a point to say that just makes it all the more suspicious…" "ENNOSHITAAAA!"

"U-Umm, if you r-really want to, then I can s-study with you." Tanaka brightened again. One could almost see a tail on him, wagging back and forth in joy.

"Feel free to hit him if he tries anything." Ennoshita's comment was followed by more grunts from Tanaka.

Thinking about the coming weekend excited Tsukiko more and more. Sure enough, the time for excitement ended and paved the way for panic. Currently, Tsukiko was panicking about what exactly she should wear.

Her uniform? That would be too formal, right? More casual clothes? Wait, but isn't this sort of like a date?

After agonizing over it for another hour, she decided to just go with a simple pair of light jeans and a red chiffon blouse. Slipping on her bag filled with her notebooks and study material, she marched downstairs before she lost her nerve.

Her father noticed her all dressed up and ready to leave. "Tsu-chan? Are you going somewhere again this weekend?" Tsukiko nodded excitedly. "I'm going out to s-study!"

"That's great, but you're always so studious and hardworking! You should spend some more time hanging out with your friends." Despite being very protective of her, he was still concerned about her social wellbeing. "I am g-going to study with s-someone!"

At this, her father and mother looked at each other in slight surprise, but smiled gently. "Oh, good! Who?" Tsukiko glanced away for a bit, her shyness taking over. "T-Tanaka-senpai…"

Her father's eyebrows raised. "An upperclassman? My, she must be a wonderful friend!" At the use of the female pronoun, the girl furrowed her brows in confusion.

"T-Tanaka-senpai is a b—" "WAAAHEH! TSUKIKO YOU SHOULD GET GOING!" Her mother hurriedly pushed her towards the door and handed her a wrapped lunch box. "HereAreSomeSnacksForYourStudySessionNowGo!" She almost spoke too quickly for Tsukiko to hear properly.

"Eh!? But Tsu-chan was just about to tell me about this Tanaka-senpai!?" Her father was not the only confused one, but Tsukiko could do nothing but walk after having the door slammed on her.

Upon reaching her boyfriend's house and ringing the doorbell, Tsukiko could feel the cold sweat coming on. The previous excitement was completely transformed into anxiety. She had never been over to a friend's house, much less a _boy's_.

His parents would be there, right? Oh god. But what if they weren't? Well, they'd still be in the living room or something…He wouldn't bring her to his room, would he?

Tsukiko had swirls in her eyes when the door suddenly flung open. With all the concerns swimming in her mind, she hadn't heard the ruckus inside the house, particular the distinct sound of somebody falling down the stairs.

She was met with a slightly disheveled and surprised Tanaka. Apparently, he had been sleeping until this moment and he rushed to open the door. Tsukiko's eyes trailed downwards, growing wider as she went. She squeaked and covered her eyes with her hands while also turning away.

Confused and still half asleep, Tanaka looked down at himself and gained a deep blush of his own. In his rush to get to the door, he hadn't realized that he had yet to put on pants. Yes, his heart-patterned boxers were on full display.

He made some indescribable noises and hurriedly slammed the door. A few moments later, the door opened again, revealing a fully-clothed and blushing Tanaka. He didn't dare meet Tsukiko's eyes. He awkwardly coughed into his hand and invited her in.

She was no longer covering her face with her hands, but she kept her head low. The heat on her cheeks still very much there. After she stepped inside, she held out the wrapped lunchbox. She offered it to Tanaka, still not looking him in the eyes. "M-M-My m-mother m-m-m-made s-snacks…" She barely stuttered out.

The boy took the box from her shaking hands. "A-Ah. Thanks…" To prevent the situation from becoming more uncomfortable, he ushered her inside to the living room where a low table was situated.

"S-Sorry for the mess!" He stammered out while trying to tidy up the place somewhat. Not trusting her voice, Tsukiko just shook her head to silently tell him that it was no problem.

They quickly got to work, each pulling out their own notes in the hopes of taking their minds off of the palpable silence. Eventually, they were able to return to a more normal atmosphere with Tanaka often asking Tsukiko for help with certain problems. "Uooohh! That makes it so much easier, Tsukiko-chan! Thanks!"

"Y-You're welcome, T-Tanaka-senpai." The boy made a face at her response, worrying her. "Tsukiko-chan…you know, it's been bothering me. I know we haven't dated for long yet, but it's okay for you to use my first name."

Tsukiko blanched at that. She was already having enough trouble believing that she was really dating him and now he wanted her to use his first name!?

Tanaka must have noticed her uneasiness, so he quickly added on, "Y-You can keep the 'senpai' part if it helps?" He didn't mention just how much he actually likes being called that.

After a couple more minutes of silence, he decided to give up on the idea. "It's okay if you're not ready for it. I was just wondering. I can wai—" "R…"

He immediately cut himself off when Tsukiko's quiet voice entered his ears. He eagerly leaned in closer to her.

"R…Ry…R-Ryu…n-n-no…s-s—I can't!" Her entire face from her hairline down to her neck was covered in that signature scarlet hue. She quickly lowered her head into her hands, masking the blush.

"S…SO CUTE!" Unable to contain himself, Tanaka nearly tackled her with a hug. "Damn it! How can you be this cute, Tsukiko-chan? Eh? Tsukiko-chan?!" His actions were more than enough to incapacitate the girl, leaving her overheated and limp in his arms. "Tsukiko-chan!" He continuously called out while shaking her as he laid her down on the floor.

He hovered over her, trying to get her attention but her soul was basically leaving her body. "Ryuuuu! I'm hoooome—Eh?"

Just then, his sister barged into the room, bearing witness to their compromising position.


	36. Chapter 36

_Current Concern: Not a single girl seems to get just how cool her lil bro is!_

 _\- Haikyuu! Wiki page_

Tanaka Saeko was a doting and proud older sister, even though her affections were often rejected by her sibling due to embarrassment. Even so, she loves him all the same.

She thought her younger brother, Tanaka Ryunosuke, was the coolest younger brother a sister could have.

The problem? Other girls didn't seem to think so!

She wondered why that was. He was cool! She helped raise him after all!

He played volleyball and he was darn good at it too! She had been to a couple of his matches before and he definitely looked cool when he spiked the ball.

He might have been a little rough around the edges, but he was a gentleman at heart.

So, what was the issue? He was kind, he was fit, and he was cool!

Sure, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had plenty of other redeeming traits that made up for his poor grades!

Was it that he was loud? But why would any girl want a guy that's too soft-spoken? That kind of guy would never stand up for himself or for his girl!

Maybe it's because he's _too_ cool? And girls are intimidated by his overwhelming coolness? Well, in that case, that's fine because Saeko only wanted the best girl for Ryu and that would be a girl that's just as cool as him – if not cooler!

Just when she was starting to get a little more concerned about it, she noticed a few changes in Ryu. He looked at his phone more often, he daydreamed frequently, and he had this goofy look on his face a lot of the time at home.

For some time, Saeko thought nothing of it until she heard some words. One night, the boy started running around and yelling in the middle of night. It was hard to tell what he was saying, but she could've sworn she heard something along the lines of 'cute' and 'girlfriend.'

After yelling at him to be quiet because it was late, she decided to ask him about it but he just shut himself in his room saying that he had to get sleep for a 'super important match that could decide my fate!'

She just let it go but eventually, she heard something again about a 'girlfriend.' One weekend, a bunch of his friends came over to study together for their upcoming final exams. Saeko got to see Nishinoya who was as cool as ever and Ennoshita who was most certainly the boss of the second-years.

During that study session, she heard Nishinoya ask Ryu about his 'super cute girlfriend.' Later that night, she asked him why she had never heard of this girl before. He revealed that their relationship was new and hadn't been going on for long.

When asked about meeting her, Ryu grew flustered and adamantly refused, stating that Saeko would just embarrass him. She pouted, but just let it go since she would see his girlfriend soon enough.

And soon she did.

Except, she didn't expect to meet her like this.

Currently, Saeko was standing in the doorway. She looked on at the scene before her with wide eyes and open mouth.

A girl with long black hair and face as red as a stop sign was on the floor. She looked to be pinned by Ryu, who was hovering over her. The two had the same kind of face that the blonde did.

Saeko stared at Ryu and Tsukiko, who stared back at her.

Tsukiko was the first to react in extreme embarrassment. She squeaked, quickly closed her eyes tight, and used both her hands to cover her face. Saeko didn't think it was possible, but the shy girl got even more red.

Her actions snapped the Tanaka siblings out of it. Immediately pushing himself off of Tsukiko and lifting his hands in the air, he cried out. "S-Sis! I can explain!" Before he did, Saeko strode over to the couple and put herself protectively in front of Tsukiko.

"Ryu! You can't just force yourself on a girl even if you love her! She'll be ready for this when she's ready! I raised you better than this!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

He had a look of complete and utter confusion. "What are you talking about?! This is a misunderstanding! I was just hugging her and we fell!" "So, you _were_ forcing yourself on her!" They continued to have this back and forth banter for some time before the misunderstanding was finally cleared.

After they all calmed down, Saeko seated herself directly in front of Tsukiko. The shy girl was staring down at her balled hands laid in her lap. She couldn't meet Saeko's impenetrable gaze.

"Hmm, she sure is cute!" Saeko mentioned. She noticed how modest the girl seemed. Perfectly primped and showing minimal skin. Wearing jeans in this weather! They may have been light, but it wouldn't kill her to wear a skirt, would it?

"Of course, she's cute!" Ryu responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, causing Tsukiko to blush again. "Can you leave now? We were studying!"

Ignoring his response, Saeko just waved him away. "How could you have a guest over and not offer any tea or snacks? Come on, Ryu! Go prepare some tea. Oh, and get me a Home Run ice cream bar!" She pushed him out of the room and slammed the door, paying no attention to his protests.

She turned back around to face Tsukiko, the girl flinching. "So, you're the girlfriend! I'm Tanaka Saeko, Ryu's older sister! What's your name?"

"K-Kita Tsukiko!" The blonde laughed at this. "No need to be nervous! I won't bite!"

"I-I'm just sh-shy…" Saeko gently smiled at the girl and propped her head on one hand. "Hmm, so you like my brother, right?" She hummed.

Tsukiko gave a small nod, but Saeko could see that there was no hesitation in it. "What do you like about him? He's cool, isn't he?" She wasn't asking to be mean. Her voice held nothing but excitement, having finally found a girl that gets just how cool her lil bro is.

Tsukiko nodded again, but more openly. She was steadily growing more comfortable around the older girl with her energetic responses. She and Tanaka were certainly siblings.

"Have you seen any of his volleyball games?" At one of Tsukiko's nods, Saeko continued. "Doesn't he look cool when he spikes? Doesn't he!" The shy girl almost giggled at his sister's eagerness.

"H-He does…but I think T-Tanaka-senpai looks c-coolest when he shouts w-whatever is on his mind w-without worrying about what o-others think…" Tsukiko wasn't looking at anything in particular, her gaze set on the table but her eyes glossed over. She had the gentlest look on her face, her lips set in a small smile. Saeko could tell that the young girl was reminiscing, the look of admiration and adoration clear on her face.

The older of the two had wide eyes and her mouth was slightly open. It was easy to see that Tsukiko's interest in her brother was much more than superficial. Confirming this, Saeko smiled fondly at the girl. She could see why Ryu was so infatuated now.

At the silence, Tsukiko jumped back into reality. "S-Sorry! I-I was just th-thinking about how I-I want to be m-more open l-like Tanaka-senpai!"

Saeko just gave a boisterous laugh. "You're real cute, ain'tcha Tsukiko-chan! Ryu got a real good catch! Lucky him!" She laughed further at Tsukiko's blushing face.

"I-I'm the one that's l-lucky…" Suddenly the door slid open, revealing Ryu with a tray of snacks and a tea set. "S-Stop harassing my girlfriend!" His sister just pouted at him.

"I'm not harassing her! We're just having some girl talk!" He didn't acknowledge her and spoke to Tsukiko. "If she says anything weird, you can just ignore her." He said as he placed the snacks and tea onto the table.

Saeko huffed and grabbed the Home Run ice cream bar from the tray. Biting into it, she said, "It's not like I get to do this often with only a brother you know! It would've been great if I had an adorable sister like Tsukiko-chan!" Ryu just gave her a look that made Tsukiko giggle.

"I-If I had an older sister like S-Saeko-san, I think i-it would be really f-fun!" There was nothing wrong with her compliment, but its underlying implications made Ryu's cheeks brighten and his thoughts ran wild.

If they ever got married, then Saeko really would be her older sister too. Married…The possibility was so far off in the future but it exhilarated him. Of course, Tsukiko probably didn't realize this at all when she said it, but that didn't stop the boy from fantasizing. He wondered how beautiful she would look in her wedding dress…

Before he got in too deep, he scrambled for a change of topic. "Y-You wouldn't want a sister like her! Trust me!" "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" The two siblings fell into their normal bickering, with Tsukiko giggling on the sidelines.

After they settled, Saeko put her chin between her fingers in a thinking pose. "I wonder what cute nickname I should call you, Tsukiko-chan! 'Tsukiko-chan' is just too long for me. Hmm…Does anybody call you 'Tsu-chan'?"

Tsukiko nodded. "M-My father calls me that. Th-The Student Council President c-calls me 'Ki-chan.'" Saeko hummed again. "Then let's not go with those…"

Ryu took a swig of water while his sister thought, not really intending to contribute to his sister's antics. Suddenly, an idea came to her and she struck her right fist into her left palm like one would in a game of rock-papers-scissors. "Ah! I got it! How about 'Tsukki'?"

The second-year boy immediately spit out his drink. "Geh! Gross!" Saeko shouted out. Saeko hadn't met any of his first-year teammates yet, so he knew she had no ill intentions. However, that didn't stop the chill that ran down his spine.

Ryu desperately grabbed her shoulders, almost shaking her in place. "Sis! I'm begging you. _**Please**_ don't call her that…"

She just blinked a few times in confusion. "Eh? Why not? I think it's cute!" He looked at her pleadingly. "Just please don't! I won't ask you for anything else!" "Ryu, you're being weird!"

Also a bit confused, Tsukiko just watched as the boy begged his sister, even going so far as to kowtow to her.

It was dark by the time the couple had decided to walk back to Tsukiko's home. They walked in comfortable silence until they were a block away. "Hey, Tsukiko-chan…" Tanaka started, causing her to look up at him as they walked.

"I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop…but I heard some of the things you and my sister were talking about…" Tsukiko was about to say that all was fine when she remembered just exactly what they were discussing. She stuttered over her words, unable to properly utter anything.

Tanaka chuckled as they stopped in front of her house. He gently grabbed her hands into his own, causing her to heat up even more. He gave her a tender look. "I just want to say thanks and…if you think you're lucky, then we must be the luckiest couple in the world."

After hesitating for a few moments, he closed his eyes and slowly began leaning in. Tsukiko stiffened, realizing the situation. They were about to kiss?! Does she close her eyes!? Does she not?! Wait! Isn't this a little fast!? They hadn't even held hands yet, not even on their way here! Hold on! What were the four bases again?!

All of her thoughts and worries disappeared as soon as his lips met hers. Without even knowing it, her shoulders relaxed, her eyes slipped closed, and she tipped her head up a bit more.

It probably only lasted for a second, if even, but it felt like an eternity for the two of them. Even then, they felt as though it were still too short.

They pulled away from each other, but their foreheads touched. Tanaka squeezed her hands once more and completely pulled away before he couldn't control himself. "G-Goodnight!"

Tsukiko nodded, her voice caught in her throat. She walked through the front door of her house and leaned against it for a couple minutes. When she was finally stable, she walked further into the house but was stopped by her father's voice. "Tsukiko…"

He almost never used her full first name. It was always just 'Tsu-chan.' She looked up at him, his face completely straight – one that she rarely ever saw – and she grew concerned. "That…outside…just now…"

"… **What was that?"**


	37. Chapter 37

**"…What was that?"**

Tsukiko fidgeted in place and wrung her hands together. She couldn't meet her father's gaze.

She wasn't nervous. She didn't know the depths of her father's love or his protection for her. As such, she had no idea that she could possibly be in trouble.

Her motions were due to embarrassment rather than guilt. She was embarrassed that her father had seen her kissing Tanaka – the first kiss, no less!

Her mother was standing some ways to the side, uncertainty in her gaze. She wasn't sure how she would help her daughter in this one. She had seen the kiss as well, and there was no way she could convince her husband that he saw anything but that.

"…Tsukiko?" Her father urged her. "U-Um…th-that was…Tanaka-senpai…" She couldn't bring herself to say, 'that was a kiss **with** Tanaka-senpai.'

The man flinched. "You mean…the 'Tanaka-senpai' that you went to study with today?" Tsukiko nodded. "So…Tanaka…is a **boy**?" She nodded again. "And you ki—…made lip contact with him." She nodded once more, although she hesitated a bit to ponder over his odd choice of words.

Her father inhaled deeply, as if he were preparing for an incredible feat. "Is he…are you two…together?" Tsukiko blushed and tried to hide her face with her hair, but she nodded nonetheless. "I see."

He released a long breath, trying to calm himself. "Bring him to me." Her mother finally spoke up. "Oh, no you don't! You **are not** going to traumatize this young man!"

He looked at her with disgust. "Young **man**?! That thing is but a **boy** trying to steal my daughter away from me!" She rolled her eyes. "Nobody is trying to steal anybody away from anyone. You knew this was going to happen sooner or later!"

"Which is why I wanted it to happen later! I can't believe you're taking this boy's side!" He turned to Tsukiko. "And I can't believe you would hide this from your father!" Her mother stood in front of her protectively.

" **She** didn't hide anything from you. **I** did!" The man gasped. "Hanae!" He uttered her name in disbelief. "I…I can't believe this! H-How could you? The betrayal!" She rolled her eyes again. "Stop being so dramatic. Tsukiko is already in high school and she's a growing young woman. You can't stop her from having these feelings and you can't stop her from seeing him."

"You're right, but I can stop **him** from seeing **her**!" " _ **Kita Norio!**_ "

The man flinched at the sound of his name. He began to sweat under his wife's icy glare. "Okay, okay! I won't **kill** him." "Norio."

He grew exasperated but relented, knowing he couldn't win against her. "Alright, fine! But I demand to see him. You can't say no to that."

Hanae sighed, knowing that she might as well settle for this. If Tanaka is really the man that Tsukiko is meant to be with, then he would have to meet him anyways. "You promise you'll be civil when you meet him?"

"…" "Norio." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"…Fine." He reluctantly said. He began sniffling. "I can't believe my baby girl has been tainted! Tsu-chan! Please tell me you haven't done anything more with that beast!"

Throughout the whole argument, Tsukiko had been standing behind her mother. She was in complete disarray, confused about the topic of conversation. She tried her best to keep up. Although she didn't know entirely what just happened, she did gather that her father was none too pleased about her new relationship with Tanaka.

She didn't want to upset her father any more, but she also didn't want to lie. "I-I haven't done a-anything before today…" Even so, her father cried harder, wailing about how his daughter's innocence was ruined right before his eyes.

Her mother grew excited, but then a bit disappointed. "Oh my god! That was the first kiss? Dang it! I should've taken a picture."

"Absolutely not! I want no evidence that any of this ever happened!" "You can't hide everything forever, honey!" "A man can dream!"

He wobbled away, going off to find tissues to wipe his tears. As he left, Hanae turned to her daughter who had been mostly silent. "I'm sorry about him, sweetie." The girl just shook her head, indicating that it wasn't a problem. In fact, she still couldn't quite get what the problem was.

At her daughter's confused look, Hanae pat her head. "Your father is just a bit protective of you. He always has been since you were born and he's upset that there's a man in your life that's not him." Tsukiko nodded, understanding the situation a bit more but not quite.

"Just tell Tanaka-kun that he can stop by whenever he feels ready. Honestly, I would tell him to put it off for as long as he can, but your father is an impatient man when it comes to these things." She began walking further into the house to find the crying Norio when she was stopped by Tsukiko pulling at her sleeve.

She turned around to look at her daughter questioningly. "Mama…Y-you're not upset like Papa?"

The woman chuckled. "Of course not, Tsukiko! I couldn't be happier that you've finally discovered these feelings." At Tsukiko's uncertain look, she continued.

"Look, if a boy can choose my darling daughter over all the other girls out there, I know he has good taste. And if he can make my daughter – who is completely clueless in romance – fall in love with him, then I know he's a good man."

Tsukiko giggled at her mother's compliments. She felt her mother's hand cradling her cheek. "He'll never say it, but your father definitely thinks the same way. He's just in denial about the whole thing. He wants only the best for you, Tsukiko. That's why he wants to see your boyfriend in person." Tsukiko nodded, feeling reassured by her mother's words.

Hanae smiled at her. "There's not much more I can do for you two. You'll have to work this out. I wish Tanaka-kun the best of luck!" With that, she walked off to find her sobbing husband.

Tsukiko walked upstairs to her room. She pulled out her phone and slowly typed out a message.

Tanaka was the happiest he's ever been. He got a kiss! With his girlfriend! Their first kiss!

Oh, how cute she looked! How soft her lips were!

It took all of his willpower to tear himself away from her, but he knew it was the best choice. Who knows what he would've done if he hadn't stopped?

On the walk home, he was smiling like a goofball. He practically skipped the entire way back, just fantasizing about the kiss.

When he got back home, even his sister was a little grossed out by how disgustingly happy he was. The pink, sparkly aura around him was enough to deter her. Make no mistake, she was glad that her lil bro finally found the right girl, but that didn't mean he had to act like this.

She made the effort to tease him, but he was so caught up with his happiness that nothing could've bothered him.

That is, until he received a message on his phone.

 _From:_ _Kita Tsukiko_

 _Subject: Meeting_

 _Text: I hope you got back safely! I really enjoyed studying with you today and meeting Saeko-san! If there's anything you still don't understand, please contact me._

… _I also enjoyed the kiss._ (/∀/)

 _But I think my parents saw it. How embarrassing!_

 _Now, my father wants to meet you. When would you be free?_


	38. Chapter 38

_*Gulp*_

Tanaka hoped the man hadn't heard that because it was certainly deafening to his own ears.

The room was in complete silence as they both sat at each end of the table. Tsukiko and her mother had gone to the living room, as per Norio's request. Hanae had made a motion to object, but knew that it was futile.

After they had gone to the other room, Tanaka was left with no other protection before this man.

It was rare for him to feel intimidated, as he was usually the one doing the intimidating. Yet, he felt like a pebble before Norio. The man was staring him down with the perfect poker face. Somehow, Tanaka thought that was more terrifying than if he had just looked at him with a scowl.

This completely blank face was scary, calculating, analyzing. Specifically, calculating how to strangle the boy and hide the body without getting caught.

The second-year could feel the sweat dribbling down his temple and on his neck, going down his back. He really wasn't sure where to look.

Look forward, and it would be like he was challenging the man which was too much. Look down, and it would be like he lost. Look away, and it would show just how nervous he was.

He wasn't even sure if he should be saying anything. Would it be rude to speak without having been spoken too? Agh! This was so frustrating.

Tanaka was even worried about his appearance. Tsukiko was his first girlfriend and this was the first time meeting her father. He had originally wanted to wear a suit but didn't own one. His wardrobe mainly consisted of the average pants, shorts, and plain T-shirts, but that was much too casual for such an occasion.

As a result, the boy opted for his school's uniform. The black gakuran was the nicest and most formal clothing he owned. Hopefully, it was the right choice.

"Tanaka Ryunosuke…" The boy flinched at the sound of his name. It was the first sound he had heard in what felt like an eternity. Not only that, but the voice was deeper than he expected.

He looked at the man, giving him his undivided attention. He gulped again, preparing for whatever he was going to say. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

A tough question right off the bat. How should he go about this? Tanaka was in love with Tsukiko. He was absolutely sure of it, but it's not that easy convincing her father.

Just simply saying that he wants to date her didn't seem like enough, but adding more to that just seemed pretentious. Going so far as to say that he would marry her was too much, no matter how much he fantasized about the idea. It would probably only anger the man further.

It appeared that Tanaka took too long in agonizing over his answer, for Norio had sighed and put his head in his hand leaning on the table.

"To think that my daughter has a boyfriend now…and with someone who looks like a hoodlum, no less!" He wasn't talking to Tanaka, but to himself. "With an absolute nobody that I had never heard of until a couple days ago…my little Tsu-chaaaan!" He mumbled through his comical tears.

After composing himself, he looked straight at Tanaka again. "From what I've gathered, you've got awful grades with little work ethic. You sleep a lot in class and get in trouble often. The only thing you really work hard at would be volleyball, but I've heard that Karasuno is called the 'Flightless Crows' and the 'Fallen Champions,' so it's not as if you have any guarantee in your future with sports either." Just how much did this man research?

The boy clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He was furious, but it's not like the man said anything wrong. His grades were bad and he did get in trouble at school often. He took pride in his volleyball, but he wasn't the ace. He believed in his team, but he couldn't risk speaking out against Norio.

Norio sighed again. "My daughter is an excellent student with a good head on her shoulders. She's always had good grades, and she's now in the college prep class. She's the Vice President of your school's Student Council and she is still only a first-year. Tsukiko has a bright future ahead of her."

Tanaka could only look down at his clenched fists on his lap, having nothing to say. Norio looked at the boy in contempt and sighed for the third time, disappointed at his lack of speech. "You are no good for my daughter. Leave." Tanaka flinched. He bit his lip, almost drawing blood. Was there really nothing he could do?

The older man closed his eyes in thought and mumbled to himself. "I need to teach Tsukiko more about how to choose the right man. She doesn't need boys who will not truly love her and will only take advantage of her."

" **YOU'RE WRONG!** "

The second-year had quickly risen out of his seat, causing the chair to fall backwards.

Norio's eyes flew open. Tanaka had been silent this whole time, leading Norio to believe that this would all be a cakewalk.

"You're **wrong**!" The boy was standing still, fists shaking at his sides. He was looking down with a deep scowl on his face.

"Everything you said before was right. My grades suck, I get in trouble with the teachers for falling asleep in class all the time, and there are plenty of guys on the volleyball team that are better than me in a bunch of things. You were right about all of that…" He lifted his head to look directly at Norio.

"…But you're wrong about my feelings for Tsukiko. I am not taking advantage of her. I love her and I would follow her to the ends of the earth! My feelings for her are true!"

" _It's not just fleeting! My feelings for you are true, Hanae!"_

Norio blinked a couple of times, bringing himself out of his shock. He had heard his own voice overlapping Tanaka's, remembering his feelings for his wife. It was not easy convincing her to give him a chance. He had confessed his feelings hundreds, if not thousands of times to her. The final time, he had used the same words as Tanaka.

He quickly shook his head. It was preposterous to think that the two were alike. He was nothing like this boorish hooligan!

Norio took a look at Tanaka's shining eyes, finding deep resolve reflected in them. This entire time, the second-year had said almost nothing. Yet, he had successfully made the man doubt himself.

It seemed like he was sighing a lot today, for he did it again. Tanaka gulped, waiting for an answer.

"Tsukiko…Tsukiko is a very shy girl…" Tanaka fixed the chair and sat back in it, thankful that he wasn't being kicked out anymore.

"It's hard for her to make friends and I am partly to blame…" Tanaka looked at him in confusion. "Tsukiko was born prematurely and she had many health problems when she was young. Her immune system wasn't the best, causing her to fall ill often. Because of that, she didn't have many opportunities to make worthwhile friends and she developed a stutter along with her shyness. She completely recovered and became healthy later, but I still worried."

Norio put his head in his hands. "Being my only child and being in a world that isn't entirely kind to women, I wanted to protect her from everything." His eyes locked with Tanaka's, causing him to flinch.

"Finding that she has a boy in her life absolutely shocked me. She had told me almost nothing about it, and one of the things I feared most had just come to happen." Norio looked down in shame.

"I always thought of my darling daughter as a frail girl, one that needed to be protected at all times…But that's impossible. I cannot be with her forever and she is strong in her own right."

There was a deep silence, Norio collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I believe most fathers both dread and hope for the day that their daughters will find a man. We dread it, because there is finally a man that could be more important to her than us. We hope for it, because we know that we cannot always protect her and this man will stand in our place. We would never admit it though, and those of us who do, will only admit it begrudgingly."

Norio took a deep breath. "That day has come…There's a man that might be able to protect my daughter." Tanaka's eyes widened and his breath stopped. "I was being hard on you because I was trying to fool myself that this day would never come. I was trying to make myself believe that I could protect her forever."

"I won't take back what I said before. I do not think you are good for my daughter, since I don't think you can offer a secure future for her…" Tanaka looked down in frustration.

"…But I can see that you make her happy. Probably the happiest she's ever been. She goes out more, has more friends, is more active, and has even started stuttering less." The wing spiker stared at the man again. "It's not like I don't notice these things, you know."

"I do not think you are good for my daughter…" He repeated. "…But her recent transformation, no doubt, has something to do with you. I can't take that away from her."

Norio stood up from his seat and walked in front of Tanaka, holding out his hand for him to shake. "If Tsukiko has given you a chance, then I am willing to as well."

Tanaka hesitantly took his hand. They shook hands, pumping up and down twice in a truce before the boy felt a sharp pain. He nearly cried out.

Norio continued to squeeze harder, almost forcing the boy to his knees. "But if you dare to lay a single finger on her before marriage, **I will castrate you**! No, wait until at least five years after marriage! No, wait! This doesn't mean I give you my blessing to marry her, nor do I want you to!" He finally released Tanaka's hand, much to the boy's relief.

"You got that!?" "Y-Yes sir!" After receiving his answer, Norio skipped to the living room. "Tsu-chaaaan! Do you want to cook with Papa tonight?"

Tanaka let out a stressful sigh of relief, rubbing his hand to ease the pain. He walked to the living room doorway to see Norio doting on Tsukiko. He stared at the happy family laughing together.

Noticing his gaze, Tsukiko turned to him and gave him a bright smile.

For the first time today, Tanaka's heart beat faster for something other than nervousness. He lovingly smiled back at her.

He was in love with this girl, and he would fight for her forever.


	39. Epilogue

"Congratulations to our graduating class!" Resounding applause reverberated throughout the gymnasium. Cheers could be heard from both parents and students alike.

Some tears and cries were mixed in. Underclassmen cried for their graduating upperclassmen. Parents cried for their graduating children. Friends cried on each other's shoulders.

All of them were filled with tears of sadness and tears of joy. Although, some screeching could be heard on two fronts.

On one side of the room, Tanaka and Nishinoya were clinging onto each other, comically crying their eyes out. "Noya-san!" "Ryu!" "Noya-san!" "Ryu!" "NOYA-SAAAN!" "RYUUUU!"

After a few smacks on the head from Ennoshita, the two gave each other one last embrace before clutching each other's hands in a rather masculine handshake.

"Keep in touch!" "Of course!" They then looked at the graduating third-year trio, Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita, with expectant eyes. They both thrust out their arms, silently but assertively asking for a group hug.

Ennoshita squinted his eyes at them. "Please wipe your faces first…" Though he didn't really mean it. Ignoring him, the loud duo continued to cry and forcefully squeezed the three of them in their arms.

On the other side of the room, more screeching could be heard. The first-years, now second-years going on third-years, were also balling their eyes out.

Well, it was really just Hinata and Yachi with a few sniffles from Yamaguchi. Although they didn't exactly show it, Kageyama and Tsukishima did feel a bit saddened by their departure from the club, even if the blond would never admit that.

Much crying could also be heard from the new first-years of the team. They had another successful run in their last year, so the graduating third-years were leaving with confidence that the team would be fine without them.

"Tanaka! Nishinoya! Ennoshita! Narita! Kinoshita! Congratulations!" The graduating third-years turned to see their seniors. "Daichi-san! Suga-san! Asahi-san!" Tanaka shouted. His tears had just started to end, but they flew right back out at the sight of the previous third-years, now college students.

"You guys have better not left the volleyball club in tatters!" Sugawara teased. "They're in good hands. I made sure of it!" Ennoshita shouted back. "We can always count on Ennoshita to keep things in check." Daichi smiled.

"Uwaah! The first-years are third-years now, huh? That's crazy to think about…I feel so old." Asahi joked. "Well, you certainly look the part." Sugawara stated, Daichi nodding in agreement. "You guys are too cruel!"

"Ryuuuu! Congratulations!" The boy turned around at the sound of his name to see his family. His older sister had streaks of tears running down her cheeks, and one arm was waving frantically at him while the other was desperately wrapped around Tsukiko.

Tsukiko was returning the hug with her own tears. Tanaka gazed at her with fondness, smiling tenderly. She returned the smile, desperately trying to wipe her tears so as not to worry him.

Everyone began exiting the gymnasium to meet up with their friends and family. Tanaka met with the rest of the volleyball team and alumni while Tsukiko met up with the Student Council members.

The former Co-Presidents, Matsumoto Hiroki and Hanamura Chie, were surrounded by the distraught younger members. They both pat the members' backs, trying to console them. "Now, now! It's not like we're dying! We'll come back to visit, promise!" After a moment's hesitation, Matsumoto continued. "Well…I promise that _I'll_ come visit."

He received a prominent smack to the head by Hanamura, followed by laughter from the others. It was nice to see that things seemed like they wouldn't change with those two even after graduating.

Upon noticing Tsukiko's arrival, Matsumoto pushed his way through to hug her. "Ki-chan! You came to see us off!" She returned his hug without any hesitation. "Of course, I did!"

Resting his hands on her shoulders and putting her arms-length away, he stared seriously at her. "We're counting on you to take care of the Student Council, new President!" At her decisive nod, he gave a big grin.

Hanamura walked up to them and said, "If Katsuo and Katsuro give you any trouble, don't hesitate to let me know. I'll make sure they don't do it again." Tsukiko nodded. "Hey! We wouldn't do that!" The twins shouted indignantly.

After everyone had their fill of 'good-byes' and tears, each of them began heading off. Matsumoto whispered to Tsukiko, "The boss lady is going off to see her boyfriend, so you're free to go too!" He received another smack to the head, causing the new President to giggle.

She went on her way to see Tanaka, nearly skipping in excitement. She found him saying his last 'good-byes' to his teammates. All of them headed their own separate ways, leaving Tanaka and Tsukiko alone.

Neither of them said a word to each other, easily leaning into a chaste kiss. As they parted, their foreheads remained in contact. They held wide smiles, Tsukiko's being adorned with tears.

"Hey, what did I tell you about tears? I can't stand to see you cry, even if it is tears of joy." Tsukiko giggled. "I know, I know. I just can't help it, Ryu-senpai!" He kissed her again and pouted. "We also went over the whole 'senpai' thing too, didn't we? Come on! It's been almost two years!"

The two heard some wolf whistles. "Kita-senpai! See you next year!" Some first-years going on second-years shouted as they passed by. Tanaka raised his eyebrows at her. "You can't call me 'senpai' forever, and not when you're a 'senpai' now!"

Although he rather enjoyed being called 'senpai' over the years, Tanaka found that he enjoyed her calling him by his first name much more without any honorific at all. "R…R-Ryu…" Tsukiko had gotten rid of her stutter for a few months now, but it came back whenever she was feeling nervous or anxious. That happened quite frequently, but her state now was miles away from where she started.

Tanaka smiled, finally getting her to ditch the honorif— "-kun!" "…" Tsukiko held a blushing face as she avoided his eyes. The boy just chuckled, willing to let it go. He was positive that he would spend the rest of his life with her. Surely, she'd be able to say it with no problem somewhere in that timespan.

He held her hand and began leading her towards the school. "Eh? Ryu-k-kun, are you sure it's okay to go back in the school?" "Shh! It's fine if nobody sees us!" As a member and new President of the Student Council, she shouldn't have condoned this behavior, but she also couldn't ignore the slight thrill of going with him.

They stopped in an empty and seemingly random hallway. Looking at her glancing around with a confused face, Tanaka chuckled. "Tsukiko, you may not remember, but this was the first place we met." At his words, she looked directly at him.

"You looked lost and I was trying to give you directions, but you mistook me for a delinquent and started crying." Tsukiko's face grew horrified. She felt the heat returning in her cheeks and she held her hands to them, trying to cover the redness. "Ahh! That was so embarrassing! P-Please don't remind me!"

Tanaka laughed as he pulled her hands away from her face, allowing him to admire her beauty. He replaced her hands with his own, gently holding her head between his hands. "But that was our first meeting! Don't you want to remember?"

"O-Of course, I do! I'm just embarrassed that I misjudged you like that." She leaned her head slightly into his hands. "Especially now that I know how amazing of a person you are."

Smiling at her with his own blush, he pulled her in for another kiss. A much longer one.

As he pulled away, he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a button, his hand brushing past her home-made charm. Tsukiko looked at the button in his hand and looked back at his uniform, realizing that it was the second button from the top.

The one closest to his heart. The one meant for his most beloved person.

She started blinking rapidly, trying to hold back the tears but to no avail. To others, it would've seemed like such a common or cliché act, but to her, every moment was special when she was with him.

Nothing was common.

His smiles, his laughs, his kisses. They were all so special.

The fact that he was willing to share it all with her brought her to tears more times than she could count.

Tsukiko used one hand to hold against her mouth to prevent her cries from emanating throughout the hallway. The other hand shakily took the button from him.

Both hands now free, he wiped at her tears. "I love you, Tsukiko." He declared before pulling her in for a deep kiss.

Even after they parted, she was unable to say it back because she was so overcome with emotion. Tanaka didn't need to hear it though. He knew exactly how she felt.

Instead, he just held her tightly, occasionally kissing her cheeks or the top of her head.

When he heard her crying turn into small sniffles, Tanaka spoke again. "Your dad invited me and my family over to dinner tonight to celebrate." Tsukiko nodded against his chest, already aware of this plan.

"…Are you sure he's not inviting me over to murder me or something?" Tsukiko giggled. "Papa is over that phase now. He said he would only hurt you, not kill you." "You know, that really doesn't make me feel any safer going to your house." She giggled again as he led her back outside to find their families.

The families had a grand and pleasant dinner, save for some small threats from Norio. Afterwards, Tsukiko and Tanaka went into her room – Not without some protests from her father about leaving the door wide open, of course.

When Tanaka seated himself, Tsukiko thrust her arms out, holding a gift-wrapped box. He gratefully accepted and tore it open to reveal a Mikasa volleyball. However, he saw some black scribbles that weren't the logo or normal print on their volleyballs.

He realized it was a signature. Not only that, but a signature from one of his favorite pro volleyball players. His head snapped back up to look with wide eyes at Tsukiko's excited face. "H…How did you get this?!"

She laughed. "Thank Papa! He said he knew a friend that had some kind of relation to him when I mentioned that you really like that player." She was immediately met with a tackling hug from Tanaka. "Thank you, Tsukiko! If it weren't for you, he would've never gotten it though!"

Releasing her, he took a few more moments to admire the signed volleyball. He lifted it to the light, shouting the player's name triumphantly. As he placed it back in the box, he pulled out a wrapped box of his own from his bag.

Handing it to Tsukiko, she gasped. "Ryu-kun! This is _your_ graduation. I'm supposed to give you the gifts. You're not supposed to give _me_ gifts!" She fiddled with the button she got from him. "And you've already given me such a great one…"

He smiled widely at her. "Well, I want to give you another one! Open it! Open it!" She laughed as she immaculately unwrapped it, slowly tearing at the tape holding the wrapping paper together.

She pulled out a dress. It was a simple black and white dress that looked like it would reach the knees. It was a strapless, straight neckline dress that somewhat flared out from the waist down. There was a moderately sized bow pinned to the top left side. It was mostly white with only the top of the neckline, the lace at the ends of the skirt of the dress, and the outline of the bow being black.

There was something oddly familiar about it…

"Do you remember it? It's the one from our first date." Tsukiko's eyes widened. "Well, maybe not our first _official_ date, but the one from before we started dating that Nishinoya and your mom set up. I recognized it because I remembered that I thought you would look so beautiful in it when we saw it in that store."

Oh boy. She could feel that stinging sensation in her eyes again.

"I know that I'm the one graduating, but it's _because_ I'm graduating that I wanted to do this. We won't get to see each other as often anymore, since I'll be going to college. It's not far so it's not that big a deal, but I really wanted to do this as a show of my love and dedication to you." He looked to the side in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I thought I could get you jewelry, like maybe a necklace, but that seemed too little. I've heard of guys giving their girls promise rings, but all the ones I wanted were too expensive…Then I came across this dress online."

He started nervously chuckling at her silence. "I-I hope it's not too mu—" He was cut off by her lips pressing against his.

Tsukiko pulled away with pink cheeks to see Tanaka with bulging eyes. He hastily used his hand to cover his mouth and cheeks, although he was rather unsuccessful in hiding his completely red face.

They had kissed many times before, but it was rare for Tsukiko to initiate like she did just now. In fact, all the other times she initiated the kiss were when he was urging or begging her to.

His brain was currently in shambles, but he didn't think there was any other time that she had initiated it completely of her own free will and without prompting.

Tanaka was just about to faint from the heat, when she gently pulled his hand away from his face.

"I love you, Ryunosuke."

She slowly leaned in for another kiss. This time, he pulled himself together enough to return it with equal passion.


End file.
